UAE, Qatar look to get closer to history

Abu Dhabi: With two sides looking to take another step towards a first Continental title at a sold-out AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 semifinal, the-AFC.com examines the key information ahead of the clash between Qatar and United Arab Emirates.
Injury clouds for hosts; Two in, two out for Qatar
It will be a suspenseful wait for the Emirati team sheet to be revealed, after Ismail Al Hammadi, Mohamed Gharib and captain Fares Juma all suffered knocks in a bruising quarterfinal 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 quarterfinals, meaning only a red card in Monday’s match will result in a player missing the final.

A tale of two strikers
Tuesday’s semifinal will feature a coming together of two of the standout forwards of the competition in Almoez Ali and Ali Mabkhout. After six goals at last year’s AFC U-23 Championship, Qatar’s Ali has burst into the spotlight at senior level, leading the scoring charts with seven goals in five matches, including a sensational haul of four against DPR Korea, putting him just one goal behind Ali Daei’s record for a single tournament. In addition to the top scorer, Al Annabi also boast the top provider of goals in the competition, with Akram Afif producing five assists, and creating a tournament-best 17 chances in his five matches.
While Qatar’s main goal threat is a relatively new arrival in the wider Asian consciousness, the Emiratis are being propelled by Mabkhout ‘s goals for the second successive edition.
The Al Jazira star, who will be playing at club home Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in the semi-final, won the Golden Boot with five goals in Australia four years ago, and will become the first player in history to score five in successive AFC Asian Cups if he finds the net against Qatar.

History made, and more in store
Whatever comes to pass against the UAE, Felix Sanchez’s side have already surpassed the performances of all Qatari sides to have to come before them by reaching the semi-finals, and have improved immeasurably on their zero-point showing in 2015.
Qatar’s place in the final four is a first, but the hosts only need to case their minds back four years to their last semi-final showing, when Mabkhout and Omar Abdulrahman shone, before falling to the hosts in Australia.
The Emiratis are in their second successive semi-final for the first time since 1996, also on home soil. They beat West Asian opposition to reach the final that year, history local fans will be hoping repeats itself on Tuesday.

UAE looking to extend streak
United Arab Emirates have had the clear ascendancy in the minimal recent encounters between the two sides, winning in their last three meetings including an emphatic 4-1 win at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, where Mabkhout bagged a brace.
Qatar’s winless run at senior level against their West Asian rivals goes all the way back to 2001, when Ahmed Hashim and Abdelnasser Al Obaidly scored in a 2-0 win during qualification for the following year’s FIFA World Cup in Korea Republic and Japan.