“Al-Abyad” faces “one scenario” at Basra Stadium

The national football team faces a major challenge when it hosts its counterpart, the Iraqi national team, at eight o’clock this evening, UAE time, at the Basra City Stadium, in a fateful and decisive confrontation in the second leg of the Asian play-off in the qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup. Although the “white” task will not be easy to outperform the Iraqi national team on its home soil and among its fans, at the same time, it is not impossible, but it requires fighting on the field, and playing with strength and ferocity throughout the 90’s. Minute.

There will be only one scenario for the UAE national team to qualify after the first-leg draw in Abu Dhabi (1-1), as the away goal rule is not applied. If the match ends in a draw with any result after 90 minutes, extra time and then penalty kicks will be used to determine the qualifier, with the winner advancing to the continental play-off next March, through which the final two places in the World Cup, scheduled for the United States, Canada and Mexico, will be determined.

The match is a new test for the Romanian coach, Elario Cosmin, and the extent of his ability to change the recent image that the team looked like, which was not satisfactory. The “Whites” hope to keep their chances of qualifying for the World Cup for the second time in its history after a wait that lasted about 35 years since 1990 in Italy.

During the recent training sessions, the team’s technical staff sought to address the defensive errors for which the team paid dearly during the first leg, which enabled the Iraqi team to reach its net early by scoring the lead goal through player Ali Al-Hammadi after only 10 minutes, before the “white” equalized through Luan Pereira in the 18th minute.

It is expected that the team’s starting lineup will witness limited changes, especially at the back line, to strengthen the defensive side after the lapses that accompanied the first leg.

Cosmin will bet on the same faces that played in the last match, with the possibility of making a change in the plan and method of play, in terms of initiating the attack and constant pressure on the opponent, to confuse him and create gaps in his defense and then pounce on him.

Final training

The team completed its preparations for the match after yesterday performing its main and closing training session at Basra City Stadium, and before that, it performed two training sessions in Abu Dhabi before traveling to Iraq, and the technical staff was reassured of the high readiness of its players.

Public support

It is expected that “Al-Abyad” will enjoy great public support in the stands of Basra Stadium, after the UAE Football Association provided eight planes to transport the public free of charge to Basra, as part of a campaign led by the National Team Fans Association, to mobilize the largest number of fans in this difficult historical mission.

On the other hand, the Mesopotamia Lions team, led by Australian coach Graham Arnold, which has recently strengthened its ranks by including some players, such as Saad Natiq, Muhammad Jawad and Ammar Mohsen, is betting on the ground staff and the audience to resolve the match, after it succeeded in ending the first leg in Abu Dhabi in a draw.

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Japanese rule

The Asian Football Confederation appointed a refereeing team led by Japanese international referee Yusuke Araki to officiate the match.

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