UAE vs Korea Republic

The Korea Republic will be aiming to complete their outstanding 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign in style when they take on the United Arab Emirates on the ultimate matchday at the Al Maktoum Stadium.

The United Arab Emirates have waved goodbye to their hopes of reaching the World Cup finals for the first time since 1990 long ago, as they sit a whopping 13 points adrift of Group A runners-up Iran going into the final matchday. After a brace of wins over Lebanon and Syria, both of which saw them keep a clean sheet, the ‘Sons of Zayed’ have lost their last two World Cup qualifying outings by the same 1-0 scoreline. On the bright side, though, after going winless in their opening three Group A home fixtures (D2, L1), the UAE scored either side of half-time to beat Syria 2-0 in their most recent such match-up. That said, they’ve lost all five previous World Cup qualifying H2Hs without scoring.

In the meantime, the Korea Republic sailed past Iran 2-0 in their last World Cup qualifying Group A fixture to maintain their almost perfect record in the ongoing qualifying cycle (W7, D2). Having qualified for the World Cup finals for the sixth time on the trot, the Koreans will be looking to extend their four-game winning streak away from home, friendlies included. Ruthless in front of goal and indestructible at the back, the ‘Taegeuk Warriros’ netted ten goals and conceded none across that four-game sequence. Though this will be Korea’s first trip to the UEA within the World Cup qualifying series, they have won each of their last three visits to the country by a two-goal margin, including a pair of 2-0 triumphs across their two most recent such travels.