UAE manager Edgardo Bauza says he will leave it until as late as possible to decide if Omar Abdulrahman can make Tuesday’s must-win World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia.
The Al Ain playmaker, who is the Asian player of the year, is a major doubt for the match at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium having picked up an ankle injury before last week's Asian Champions League quarter-final first leg with Al Hilal. Abdulrahman still completed the full 90 minutes in the 0-0 draw.
The midfielder, 25, will be assessed at training on Monday night, with a decision to be made early Tuesday as to whether he can play any part in what is a crucial encounter as the UAE seek to keep alive their World Cup dream.
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With only two matches remaining in Group B, the national team sit fourth, six points off a play-off place. They have to therefore collect maximum points against the Saudis and then Iraq next week, while hoping for other results to go their way and for a large swing in goal difference.
Highlights from UAE's last encounter against Saudi Arabia
Abdulrahman absence would represent a huge blow, especially as the UAE could also be without a number of key players, including defender Ismail Ahmed. Winger Ismail Al Hamadi and Hamdan Al Kamali, the Al Wahda centre-back, are definitely out.
"They are absentees due to injury, especially Omar," said Bauza, who opened his tenure in June with the disappointing 1-1 draw in Thailand. "Currently, I'm unsure if Omar is ready to be part of the team. I will determine if they are ready to be part of the starting line up, but it has not been decided. Today I will take my decision, or maximum early tomorrow. I have full confidence in all the elements of the UAE team and the priority will be for the ready players.
Also from John McAuley:
“Regardless of the injuries we have, the objective is to win the match and snatch the three points. If we can score more goals, this is a positive, but the main objective is to win.
“The preparations are very good, everybody is serious and are working in the spirit of the team. We wish to be lucky and for other circumstances to help us. The national team and I will present the best performance. I am ambitious to win this match. This is the only objective I have.”
In second-placed Saudi Arabia, the UAE face a side with whom they know extremely well. However, their record against their Gulf rivals is poor: the UAE have lost eight of their past nine meetings, with the other contest finishing in a draw.
The teams met most recently in the reverse fixture last October, when the Saudis won 3-0 in Jeddah. They also hold an advantage given the 2017/18 Saudi Pro League season began earlier this month, whereas the UAE domestic campaign is yet to start.
"The Saudi team is more ready compared to us, in terms of the number of matches and the Saudi Arabia league starting earlier,” Bauza said. "They have played nearly three matches, as well as the Asian Champions League match here in Al Ain [for Al Hilal].
"Of course, this is a disadvantage for the UAE because only Al Ain have played an official match. We hope that the rhythm of the match will be good and we can take the points.”
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AS IT STANDS:
The UAE are fourth in Group B, the final stage of qualification for next summer’s World Cup, six points off a play-off spot with two matches remaining. Only the top two teams are guaranteed a place in Russia, with third place to enter a series of play-offs.
The UAE must therefore defeat both Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and Iraq next week to stand any chance of making only a second World Cup appearance. However, given their situation, they need for either the Saudis or Australia to fail to collect any more points, while also requiring a huge swing in goal difference. At present, the UAE are nine goals worse off than Australia in third and 10 worse off than the second-placed Saudis.
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEdinburgh%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%204%20%3Cem%3E(unchanged)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBahrain%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%2015%20%3Cem%3E(from%20September%2015)%3C%2Fem%3E%3B%20second%20daily%20service%20from%20January%201%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EKuwait%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%2015%20%3Cem%3E(from%20September%2016)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMumbai%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20October%2027)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAhmedabad%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20October%2027)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColombo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202%20%3Cem%3E(from%20January%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMuscat%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cem%3E%20%3C%2Fem%3EMarch%201%3Cem%3E%20(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELyon%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBologna%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20Emirates%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Indoor Cricket World Cup
Venue Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE squad Saqib Nazir (captain), Aaqib Malik, Fahad Al Hashmi, Isuru Umesh, Nadir Hussain, Sachin Talwar, Nashwan Nasir, Prashath Kumara, Ramveer Rai, Sameer Nayyak, Umar Shah, Vikrant Shetty
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Primera Liga fixtures (all times UAE: 4 GMT)
Friday
Real Sociedad v Villarreal (10.15pm)
Real Betis v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Barcelona (8.15pm)
Levante v Deportivo La Coruna (10.15pm)
Girona v Malaga (10.15pm)
Las Palmas v Atletico Madrid (12.15am)
Sunday
Espanyol v Leganes (8.15pm)
Eibar v Athletic Bilbao (8.15pm)
Getafe v Sevilla (10.15pm)
Real Madrid v Valencia (10.15pm)
