World Cup 2022 Qualifiers: Opportunities for UAE and Vietnam?

In Group G, Vietnam is at the top with 11 points, 2 points more than second-placed Malaysia. Thailand is at the third place with 8 points, UAE is at the fourth place (6 points) and Indonesia is at the bottom of the table with 0 points.

Hosting advantage

This explains why Thailand and UAE are so eager to offer to host the remaining matches of the tournament.World Cup 2022 QualifiersWith regulations on competition facilities and relaxed quarantine periods, Thailand and UAE will be the two names that AFC will put on the table for selection.

The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) and the clubs Pathum United and Port FC expressed their determination to host the group stage matches of the AFC Champions League 2021. However, the UAE media said that the AFC would vote for them simply because according to the old schedule, their team had 3 out of 4 home matches. Being the host would ensure more fairness than Thailand, which only has 2 home matches out of 3 remaining matches.

UAE team

Although the AFC is very flexible and clever in allowing the teams in Group G to sit down and negotiate with each other, only when the teams cannot reach an agreement will the AFC decide and Thailand will find it difficult to blame the AFC for not being able to convince its opponent UAE.

For the Vietnam Team, according to Mr. Park Hang-seo's calculation, we will need 6 points in the next 3 matches to have a ticket to the next round, regardless of the remaining results. According to the new schedule, theVietnam teamwill meet Indonesia on June 7, face Malaysia on June 11 and meet UAE on June 15.

6 point target

Among the opponents of the Vietnam team, only Malaysia and UAE still have a chance to continue, Indonesia was eliminated early. Thus, the match with Malaysia is considered the final, deciding the fate of the ticket for Van Duc and his teammates. Obviously, Vietnam has more advantages than Thailand and Malaysia. For Malaysia, who lost the home field advantage when playing with Vietnam, they also have to face Trong Hoang, Dinh Trong has returned after being banned from playing in the match against Indonesia due to receiving a card.

The Vietnamese team is holding a big advantage thanks to its high score after 5 matches in the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers. Photo courtesy of TK

Meanwhile, the UAE's goal is to win all 12 points in the remaining 4 matches, including against Vietnam. In addition to the home field, the weather is an important factor that helps coach Marwijk feel more confident in victory. Remember that in June, the UAE desert summer climate is very hot when the weather is over 40 degrees Celsius, and the competition density is high. Not to mention, the 3-month postponement of the match schedule helps the UAE's 2 best stars, striker Ali Mabkhout and conductor Omar Abdulrahman, to fully recover from their injuries.

It is no coincidence that in the "four-horse" race, people assess that the UAE and Vietnam teams have more advantages, although things are not easy at all in the context of the epidemic.Covid-19The most important thing is that Mr. Park and his team must still fight with all their might to decide their ticket to the next round and cannot risk waiting until the final match against UAE./.