UAE line up 4 key friendly matches in Europe for Asian Cup

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The UAE national team has started its European training camp ahead of four friendlies which will form part of the side’s preparations for the next year’s AFC Asian Cup 2015.

Coach Mahdi Ali is keeping tabs on the squad which is currently in Linz in Austria where they will take on Serie A outfit Udinese, before meeting Norway on August 27 in Oslo.

Al Ain players Khalid Essa, Mohammed Ahmed, Muhanad Al Enazi, Ismail Ahmed, Mohammed Fawzi and Omer Abdul Rahman, who are representing their club in the AFC Champions League quarter-finals against Al Ittihad, will miss the Norway friendly as the return leg against the Saudi Arabian powerhouse in Jeddah is scheduled for August 26.

However, they will join the camp a day later, and will feature in the international friendly match against Lithuania on September 3, and against Paraguay on September 7. Both matches will be played in Austria.

National team captain Ismail Matar is set to miss all four friendlies, as well as the training camp as he recovers from a knee injury in Munich.

UAE qualified for the AFC Asian Cup 2015 finals as Group E winners with five wins and a draw from their six matches.

They are in Group C of the tournament proper where they will face neighbors Qatar, Bahrain and Iran, with the match against Qatar on January 11 at the Canberra Stadium their campaign opener. /End/