Martin Boyle drawing on Saudi experience to help Australia overcome UAE in World Cup showdown

As Saudi-based Socceroo Martin Boyle prepares for Tuesday night’s do-or-die World Cup playoff clash with the UAE on what is forecast to be a sweltering 41 degrees Celsius day in Doha, he’s preparing to offer a rather odd piece of advice for his father - bring a jacket.

This week’s clash in the Qatari capital is at the 50,000-capacity Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, one of the many glistening new stadiums built for the upcoming FIFA World Cup with leading air-conditioning technology.

Boyle sat out last week’s warm-up against Jordan, having only just arrived in camp from his Saudi club Al-Faisaly, and felt first-hand just how effective the air-conditioning was.

“I was sitting in the stand the other day, and it was freezing,” 29-year-old Boyle told Arab News from the Socceroos camp in Doha. “So I'm sure when my Dad comes along, I'll have to tell him to bring a jacket to a country that he probably doesn't even need.”

While conditions inside the stadium on match day will be more than comfortable for the players, there is still the matter of day-to-day life and training for the players in the lead up to the game, and Boyle believes the experience of almost six months playing in Saudi Arabia has prepared him well for what he hopes will be a successful fortnight for him and the Socceroos, who will face Peru in the ultimate decider should they get past the UAE.

“Yeah, personally, I definitely think it's helped me,” the former Hibernian winger said. “I remember when I played in Scotland, I was coming in and I was doing the warm-ups and the heat was getting me, I was coming off the bus and I was sweating before training and stuff like that.

“And now, I feel like because we're playing in 30-35 degree heat and training every day, it's