Wednesday, June 11

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Sports Mole previews Tuesday's World Cup Qualifying - Asia clash between Kyrgyzstan and United Arab Emirates, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Kyrgyzstan and the United Arab Emirates will draw the curtain on the third round of their respective 2026 World Cup qualifying campaigns at Dolen Omurzakov Stadium on Tuesday.

With both of their fates largely already set in stone, there is little to play for here, but the teams will be keen to sign off on proceedings with a win off the back of stalemates last time out.

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Match preview

After suffering six defeats from their opening seven qualifiers, Kyrgyzstan went down without a whimper in their quest for a first-ever World Cup ticket, having never featured in football's biggest event since they were deemed eligible in 1998.

With no pressure on their backs, Maksim Lisitsyn's men have picked up four points from the subsequent six available off the back of a 3-1 victory over Qatar in March prior to Thursday's 2-2 draw against North Korea.

While clean sheets have remained at a premium for the White Falcons, their output at the other end has gone up a notch, with five of their 11 goals in nine qualifying matches so far coming in the last two involvements.

Midfielder Gulzhigit Alykulov has been a major contributor to Kyrgyzstan's recent renaissance in attack after coming off the bench to register a direct goal contribution for the second game running last time out.

Now with the chance to go three games unbeaten for the first time in just over a year, the hosts will fancy their chances of a positive result on Tuesday, although their record against the visitors leaves a lot to be desired.

A comprehensive 3-0 loss in the most recent edition of this fixture last year was Kyrgyzstan's third in as many clashes off the back of narrow 1-0 and 3-2 defeats in friendly and Asian Cup meetings respectively.

Needing a win against Uzbekistan to stand any chance of usurping them in the battle for the second automatic World Cup ticket in Group A behind leaders Iran, the United Arab Emirates just about fell short as they were held to a goalless draw at Al Nahyan Stadium on Thursday.

Boasting over 60% of the ball possession, Cosmin Olaroiu's men were on top for large spells of the contest but just could not find the all-important winner that their performance perhaps merited on the balance of play.

Consequently, the Sons of Zayed will now have to wait a little longer to secure a World Cup berth for the first time in 36 years, as they will now go to a fourth round of the qualifying phase alongside all the other third and fourth-placed teams when the third round comes to a conclusion.

As things stand, the UAE are set to head into the fourth round as the best-performing team, having managed 14 points from their nine matches so far, but that becomes inconsequential as the six sides in the next phase will start afresh and all have two games to stake their claim for a place in next year's global showpiece.

Since beating Kyrgyzstan back in November, Tuesday's visitors are on a run of just two victories from seven matches and now go in search of a return to winning ways ahead of a crunch October schedule.

Kyrgyzstan World Cup Qualifying - Asia form:

United Arab Emirates World Cup Qualifying - Asia form:

United Arab Emirates form (all competitions):

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Team News

Gulzhigit Alykulov has proven to be an effective option off the bench for Kyrgyzstan recently, but a start could be on the cards for the Torpedo Moscow man in this one.

Odilzhon Abdurakhmanov was hauled off with an injury scare in the final knockings of the hosts' last outing, making him a major doubt to play any part on Tuesday.

UAE's all-time top scorer Ali Mabkhout, who has netted 85 times in 114 international matches, remains out of contention, having not featured since January 2024.

Caio has been given the nod to lead the line of late in Mabkhout's absence, but after failing to score in each of his last three matches, coach Olaroiu could contemplate making a change up front.

Skipper Khalid Eisa is expected to feature in his 90th international game here which would move him within 10 caps of joining a handful of players to have made a century of appearances for the away side.

Kyrgyzstan possible starting lineup:

Tokotaev; Kichin, Kozubaev, Brauzman; Mishchenko, Atabaev, Zarypbekov, Merk, Kenzhebaev; Almazbekov, Kojo

United Arab Emirates possible starting lineup:

Eisa; Meloni, Kouadio, Pimenta, Aldhanhani; Hassan, Ramadan; Suhail, Alghassani, Lima; Oliveira

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We say: Kyrgyzstan 1-2 United Arab Emirates

 

Given their record in this fixture and the quality of both squads on paper, UAE are strong favourites to come out on top, and we are backing them to emerge victorious, albeit narrowly.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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