UAE vs Qatar Predictions
UAE and Qatar meet at Alinma Stadium in Jeddah on Wednesday with top spot in Gulf Cup Group B at stake.
Both teams will be keen to secure top spot, and I expect chances at both ends.
BTTS is my preferred selection, while I also fancy a low-score draw.
BTTS on the Cards in Group B Decider
- UAE scored 1+ goals in 10 of their last 12 matches
- UAE have seen BTTS in 8 of their last 12 matches
- UAE drew their last 2 matches against Qatar (Gulf Cup)
- Qatar have seen BTTS in 4 of their last 5 matches against UAE
- Qatar have seen BTTS in 5 of their last 7 matches (Gulf Cup)
- Qatar scored 1+ goals in 11 of their last 14 matches (competitive fixtures)
Tight Record in Recent UAE vs Qatar H2H
UAE and Qatar have met six times since 2020. Both sides won twice, while two games finished level.
Qatar claimed a 2-1 win in their most recent meeting last year, while their previous two Gulf Cup encounters both finished 1-1.
UAE Impress in Bahrain Win
UAE head into Wednesday's Group B decider top of the section after convincing wins against Yemen and Bahrain.
Zlatko Dalic's side followed their 4-0 win against Yemen with a 3-0 victory over Bahrain on Sunday.
Ousmane Camara opened the scoring before substitutes Guilherme Bala and Ali Saleh ensured the UAE’s progression to the semi-finals.
The Whites turned in a superb display, with final match stats underlining their dominance of the contest.
UAE registered 19 efforts to Bahrain’s three and finished with an xG total of 1.91 compared to just 0.21 for their opponents.
Unbeaten in six of their last seven matches, the Sons of Zayed need only a draw to secure top spot in the group.
Qatar Grind Out Another Win
Qatar face their final Group B fixture after grinding out a 1-0 win against Yemen on Sunday.
Julen Lopetegui's men dominated the contest but had to wait until Yusuf Abdurisag’s 64th goal to break Yemeni defensive resistance.
Qatar passed up several opportunities to secure a bigger win at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. Akram Afif missed a penalty as the Maroon One finished the match with 19 shots on goal and xG of 3.14.
Before Sunday’s victory, Lopetegui’s side opened the competition with a deserved 2-0 win over Bahrain.
Qatar arrived at the tournament in poor form, having recorded just one victory in their previous 15 matches.
UAE vs Qatar Squads & Team News
UAE Squad
Goalkeepers: Khalid Eisa, Hamad Al Muqbali, Fahad Al Dhanhani
Defenders: Marcus Meloni, Zayed Al Zaabi, Khalid Al Dhanhani, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Alaeddin Zahir, Sasha Ivkovic, Lucas Pimenta, Erik de Menezes, Ruben Philip
Midfielders: Luan Pereira, Abdulla Hamad, Mamadou Coulibaly, Essam Fayez, Fabio de Lima, Nicolas Gimenez, Hareb Abdulla
Forwards: Bruno de Oliveira, Ali Saleh, Yuri Cesar, Richard Akonnor, Guilherme Bala, Sultan Adel, Ousmane Camara
Head coach Dalic could make one or two changes to his first XI this week. Guilherme Bala and Ali Saleh could earn starting places after both made goalscoring substitute appearances against Bahrain.
The UAE have no reported injury issues.
Head Coach Dalic expressed surprise with his side’s comfortable win against Bahrain:
"We know that Bahrain came to defend their title, a team with great experience and a distinguished coach (Dragan Talajić), and we did not expect to score three goals,"
Qatar Squad
Goalkeepers: Salah Zakaria, Shehab Ellethy, Mahmoud Abu Nada
Defenders: Ayoub Al Alawi, Issa Laye, Tarek Salman, Homam Al Amin, Boualem Khoukhi, Pedro Miguel, Sultan Al Brake
Midfielders: Abdulaziz Hatem, Ahmed Fathy, Naif Al Hadhrami, Jassem Gaber, Karim Boudiaf, Assim Madibo, Mohammed Manaei
Forwards: Ahmed Alaa, Edmilson Junior, Akram Afif, Hassan Al Haydos, Yusuf Abdurisag, Hashim Ali, Ahmed Al Ganehi, Almoez Ali, Tahseen Mohammed
Lopetegui may make some changes to his XI after Qatar struggled to turn chances into goals against Yemen.
Issa Laye went off injured on Sunday. Jassem Gaber is expected to come into the starting selection.
Ahmed Fathy is available after completing a one-game ban after his dismissal against Bahrain.