Walid Abbas: UAE ready for 'cup final' in World Cup 2022 play-off against Australia

UAE captain Walid Abbas says his side will be able to cope with the pressure of Tuesday’s must-win World Cup play-off against Australia, as the country stand only two matches from a second appearance at the global finals.

The national team, currently in Doha as they prepare for the clash at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, take on their Australian counterparts knowing only victory will be enough to keep alive hopes of making Qatar 2022.

Should the UAE win on Tuesday, they will then face South American qualifiers Peru on June 13 at the same venue for a place at the World Cup.

Both the UAE and Australia reached the Asian play-off by finishing third in their respective groups in the third round of qualification. They last met one another at the 2019 Asian Cup on UAE soil, with the hosts winning 1-0 in Al Ain.

However, the UAE go into the latest encounter as underdogs: they are ranked more than 30 spots lower than Australia by Fifa, at No 73, while Tuesday's opponents are perennial qualifiers for the World Cup. The 2015 Asian champions, who defeated the UAE in the semi-final en route to the continental title, are bidding for a fifth successive global finals. The UAE's only participation at football's showpiece was in 1990.

Speaking in Doha on Sunday, 36-year-old defender Abbas said: “Our confidence in ourselves is great, and we have players who have enough international experience to deal with any pressure, especially since it is an equal match for both teams, so there is no preference for one team over another.

“But it is 90 minutes, in which the team most able in dealing with these pressures, and the most successful in exploiting opportunities, will win. I hope that my fellow players will be successful in that.”

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