The UAE Olympic team is due to face Gabon on Sunday in their fourth friendly of the ongoing training camp in preparation for this month’s London Olympics.
Mahdi Ali’s men have played three matches so far. They beat Switzerland’s FC Sion 1-0 in their first warm-up match, before suffering a 4-2 beating by Shakhtar Donetsk last week. In Linz, Austria, this week, they overcame Romania’s FC Vaslui 1-0.
After the Gabon match, the Emirates are scheduled to play three more friendlies against Romania’s Olympic team, Honduras and New Zealand.
The UAE has been housed alongside hosts Great Britain, Senegal and Uruguay in Group A, while the Hondurans and Kiwis are also part of the Olympic programme.
New Zealand are in Group C with Belarus, Brazil and Egypt, while Honduras were drawn in Group D along with Japan, Morocco and Spain.
UAE U-19s
Meanwhile, the UAE U-19s, who are currently training in Morocco, drubbed local side Al Ittihad 5-0, with Yousuf Ahmed scoring a second half hat-trick for Eid Baroot’s side.
Skipper Fahad Hadeed opened the scoring for the Emirates in the 15th minute, but the session after the break belonged almost solely to the UAE as Faraj Jumaa added a second before a goal blitz saw Yousuf complete his impressive hat-trick.
Baroot’s boys will play five friendlies in Morocco in preparation for the GCC Youth Championships in Doha and the AFC U-19 Championships, which the UAE will host from November 3-17.
Under-19 team manager Jamal Bu Hindi said: “The training programme has been tailored carefully to suit the challenges ahead.”
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