It’s finally here! The 2019 AFC Asian Cup has arrived. 24 of the best teams in Asia will compete in the biggest-ever iteration of the competition to claim the coveted trophy. The proceedings will begin on January 5 with hosts UAE taking on Bahrain.
Hosts United Arab Emirates welcome Bahrain to Abu Dhabi to play the opening match of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. The game will kick-start a month-long competition which will end with one out of the twenty-four contenders being crowned as the Asian Champions.
UAE are drawn alongside Bahrain, India, and Thailand in Group A of the competition.
For the first time ever, twenty-four nations will compete in the pan-Asian competition instead of the usual sixteen. As such two additional groups have been added from which the two best teams and best of the third-placed teams will progress.
The victors of Asia will effortlessness the fields soon as the seventeenth release of AFC Asian Cup commences on fifth January at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The Group A match between hosts UAE and Bahrain will ensure that the competition embarks to a decent begin after some fabulous off the field occasions.
UAE enters the competition as the top picks from the gathering to go to the following round. As hosts, the group would appreciate great help from its observers and will be certain of rehashing their past Asian Cup complete - third at Australia in 2015. In spite of the fact that mentor Alberto Zaccheroni wouldn't confront much inconvenience advancing to the following round, dangers from India and Thailand should be managed care. After the opening installation, UAE will again be on field on tenth and fourteenth against India and Thailand separately.
Bahrain will be the group who can pull off miracles in the gathering. Despite the fact that they don't hold an amazing positioning, the group has been marvelous in its readiness for the mainland title, playing various global friendlies. In their last 3 recreations, Bahrain has scored 10 objectives without yielding any. In 2015, Bahrain couldn't go past the gathering stage, as they needed to complete beneath Iran and UAE. However, things appear to be unique under Miroslav Soukup with the Reds very much arranged for the solid rivalry from the other three sides. Getting into the knockout stages would be their point this year. After UAE, Bahrain will play Thailand on tenth and India on fourteenth.
Zayed Sports City Stadium ahead of tomorrow's first #AsianCup2019 kick-off between 🇦🇪 and 🇧🇭! pic.twitter.com/5WxBeJHpnR— #AsianCup2019 (@afcasiancup) January 4, 2019
UAE’s record against Bahrain:
Since 2007, UAE has had a stronger hand over Bahrain, getting the better of them on 5 different occasions, along with a tie and a loss. In those 7 matches between the two, the Emiratis scored 19 goals conceding 10.
How are Bahrain doing in the build up to the Asian Cup?
Apart from the fact that the FA is trying to look past the story of former NT player Hakeem Al-Araibi – 25-yr-old defender within the squad on the verge of extradition from Thailand, making the news, the squad has had a rough time coughing up the wins in recent friendlies. However, talents like Jamal Rashid and Sami Al-Husaini do have the potential to put a dent in the hopes of their opponents. By introducing, team cohesiveness, strong work ethic and a dab of good luck, the team will be hoping to outperform their previous high in the tournament – a fourth place finish in China in 2004.
Legendary midfielder Ismael Matar could make a mark in this match-up. With word being he would be playing with a mask on to protect himself from the facial injury sustained, it will be interesting to see the amount of playing time Zaccheroni would be willing to give him. However, the Al-Wahda playmaker has been great form for his club side showing no signs of aging breaking up plays and providing vital support in the attack. Additionally, the Emiratis will rely on his experience to settle any early jitters for those around him.
While many predict Ali Mabkhout to make an immediate impact in the tournament, eyes will be on Khalfan Mubarak as the 23-yr-old attacking midfielder has been key in Mabkhout’s success at Al-Jazira with the former providing 11 assists with majority of them going to Mabkhout. With only 5 caps, there might be a little bit of hesitation from Zaccheroni to give him a shot but there would be no better opportunity for Khalfan Mubarak than this match-up against for Bahrain for him to prove his credentials.
Team News
UAE
UAE's notable absence in the tournament will be star midfielder Omar Abdulrahman. The 27-year-old has been ruled out of the tournament with an ACL tear. Khalid Eisa will be the first choice at the goal for the hosts. Walid Abbas would be leading the backline with his experience, while Ismail Al Hammadi take charge of the midfield. UAE's goal scoring machines will be the two strikers - Ali Mabkhout and Ahmed Khalil.
Bahrain
Bahrain would be dependent on their attackers' goal-scoring abilities. The attacking third would be the area, Bahrain would want their game to be at. Sayed Shubbar Alawi will be the custodian in-charge when Waleen Al Hayam will be at the core of the defence. Abdulwahab Ali Alsafi would the playmaker to Abdulla Yusuf Helal at the finishing end.
UAE possible playing XI
Khalid Eisa, Walid Abbas, Fares Juma Al Saadi, Ismail Ahmed Mohamed, Mohamed Ahmad Gharib, Ismail Al Hammadi, Majed Hassan, Amer Abdulrahman Abdulla, Mohamed Abdulrahman Alraqi, Ali Mabkhout, Ahmed Khalil
Bahrain possible playing XI
Sayed Shubbar Alawi, Waleen Al Hayam, Sayed Redha Isa, Ahmed Abdulla Ali, Ahmed Mubarak Bughammar, Ali Jaafar Madan, Abdulwahab Ali Alsafi, Sayed Dhiya Saeed, Komail Hasan Alaswad, Abdulla Yusuf Helal, Sami Mohamed Alhusaini
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