Injury clouds for hosts; Two in, two out for Qatar

It will be a suspenseful wait for the Emirati team sheet to be revealed, but Ismail Al Hammadi and captain Fares Juma are expected to start despite suffering knocks in a bruising quarter-final win over Australia.

While the fitness of those players remains under a cloud, Alberto Zaccheroni will be able to call on Khamis Esmaeel, who served a suspension against the Socceroos.

Bassam Al Rawi and Abdelaziz Hatim, Qatar's goal scoring heroes from their two previous knockout stage wins, are both suspended, but Omer Madibo and 2018 AFC Player of the Year Abdelkarim Hassan will be welcomed back with open arms.

Outstanding disciplinary records were erased following the quarter-finals, meaning only a red card in Monday's match will result in a player missing the final.

The host nation needed a late Ahmed Khalil penalty to secure a 1-1 draw in their opening game, before beating India and sharing the spoils with Thailand as they claimed pole position in Group A.

A narrow win over Kyrgyz Republic in the Round of 16 duly followed, while a far more dynamic performance against Australia ultimately ensured Zaccheroni’s charges a place in the last four.

Emirati supporters were justifiably concerned when injury ruled dynamic playmaker Omar Abdulrahman out of the tournament, but for the second edition running, Mabkhout has emerged as the UAE's attacking focal point.

The Al Jazira forward was the star marksman of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, finishing as the top scorer with five goals, and has netted in the last four matches of the host nation's run to the semi-finals of this year's tournament.

Under the wily guidance of head coach Alberto Zaccheroni, the UAE - who finished third at the competition’s 2015 edition in Australia - head into the game at Abu Dhabi’s Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium looking to emulate the nation’s achievements in 1996 when, as hosts, they reached the final.

Having not lost to Qatar since 2001, hope is now high among Emirati fans that the nation's current generation can at the very least emulate the heroes of yesteryear, with the importance of doing well at home not lost on Al Wasl favourite Salmeen.

After reaching the quarter-finals in 2000 and 2011, Tuesday’s encounter represents Qatar’s first foray into the last four, with Sanchez’s charges, who have yet to concede a goal, amassing five successive victories during their historic campaign.

With a title showdown now just 90 minutes away, and despite the rarefied atmosphere that accompanies any semi-final showdown, the Spanish tactician is backing his players to continue their fine form against the 1996 finalists.

Qatar's success would have been difficult to imagine four years ago. Hassan, an unused substitute, watched on as Bahrain's Sayed Ahmed scored eight minutes from time to deliver a final blow to Al Annabi's 2015 campaign.

Three successive losses meant Hassan's side left Australia without a single point. After years of steady progress, and a quarter-final appearance on home soil four years prior, it was their worst ever result at an AFC Asian Cup.

Skip forward four years and the circumstances are unrecognisable. Qatar have won five successive matches, and beaten three former champions in a row, to reach the final four for the first time history.

A searing 78th-minute strike from Abdelaziz Hatim ultimately secured the win for Felix Sanchez's side, to eliminate the 2015 runners-up and make it five consecutive wins in the competition.

Ali, a breakout star in the UAE with seven goals in five matches, revealed his delight at the achievement, and said he wants his side to make further history in the competition, starting with Tuesday's semi-final against host nation United Arab Emirates.