Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Abu Dhabi: United Arab Emirates have suffered a real setback ahead of a crucial week after it was confirmed that striker Ali Mabkhout will miss the first of their two upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup/2019 AFC Asian Cup joint qualifiers against Palestine.
UAE, currently second in Group A and three points behind leaders Saudi Arabia, are still in the running to finish top and seal an automatic berth at the AFC Asian Cup, as well as advance to the next round of World Cup qualifying.
All to play for in latest round of Russia 2018/UAE 2019 qualfiers
They tackle the Palestinians first on Thursday before facing off against Saudi Arabia in what is set to be a pivotal encounter five days later, with both clashes taking place at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
However, it has emerged that key striker Mabkhout will be absent from the March 24 qualifier - at the very least - after tearing his right hamstring while playing for Al Jazira in this week’s AFC Champions League 1-1 draw with Al Hilal.
Despite what seems to be a severe injury, the 25-year-old could, nevertheless, return in time to feature against the Saudis.
According to Gulf News, Mabkhout – in a bid to recover for the March 29 game – has travelled to Serbia to consult renowned physiotherapist Mariana Kovacevic, who has previously treated famous names such as Frank Lampard and Robin van Persie.
There was, however, some encouraging news for UAE coach Mahdi Ali as Mabkhout's possible replacement, Al Nasr’s Salem Saleh, netted twice on Friday in a 6-1 friendly victory over Bangladesh.