The UAE squad were put through their paces in Shanghai yesterday as final preparations for the start of the third round of World Cup 2018 qualifying continued.

The Whites landed in the Chinese metropolis on Friday to warm-up for their Group B tie against Asian heavyweights Japan on September 1. They will then host 2015 Asian Cup holders Australia in Abu Dhabi on September 6.

These represent the opening fixtures in the 10-game last stage in the AFC process, from which the top two earn a spot in Russia and the third-place finishers from both pools meet to win a place in the inter-confederation play-off.

Coach Mahdi Ali has only 16 players to work with at present because of Al Ain and Al Nasr’s 2016 AFC Champions League quarter-final commitments.

This means stars such as Omar Abdulrahman will miss Wednesday’s friendly against North Korea.