The UAE team will start their " journey to correct mistakes" in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers with a match against Malaysia at 11:45 p.m. (Vietnam time) on the evening of June 3. The home team is currently 4th in Group G with 6 points/4 matches, aiming to win all 4 remaining matches to qualify.
In the first leg, Malaysia lost 1-2 to the UAE despite taking a lead from the first minute. Meeting again after more than 20 months, the UAE is confident that it will defeat its opponent, even confident that it will defeat Malaysia by a large margin. In the last 2 friendly matches, the UAE team won against India and Jordan with the scores of 6-0 and 5-1 respectively.
Coach Bert van Marwijk, in his return to lead the UAE team, was determined to eliminate big stars but who were often injured and no longer in good form like Omar Abdulrahman or Ahmed Khalil, to give opportunities to new faces.
According to Al Bayan, despite having a very strong attack, Mr. Bert van Mariwij is very cautious, prioritizing stability in midfield and defense. He clearly stated to his students that they were not allowed to make " misspells" in the remaining journey. The two losses to Vietnam and Thailand in the first leg helped him learn valuable lessons.
As for the Malaysian team, the UAE is associated with bitter memories. In the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, they lost 0-10 to the UAE on September 3, 2015. That was the biggest loss in the history of the Malaysian team and to date, that defeat still haunted many players.
The News Straits Times commented that defeat had sent the Malaysian team to the "ash line". Although coach Tan Cheng Hoe helped Malaysia revive and stay in a good position before the rematch with the UAE, Bernama news agency commented that "the prospect of a victory or even a draw against the UAE is very bleak".
Ali Mabkhout was the UAE player that made Malaysia the most hesitant, after scoring a double in the 2-1 victory in the first leg. In the 2 matches against India and Jordan, this striker scored 5 goals. Coach Tan Cheng Hoe admitted that it will not be easy to free the foreign striker.
In 14 meetings with Malaysia since 1980, the UAE has won 12 and lost only 2. With so many advantages and superior class, the UAE team was on the brink of victory.
Prediction: 4-0
