Paulo Bento’s United Arab Emirates (UAE) have named their starting lineup for their Group C opener against Hong Kong.
The United Arab Emirates have named their starting lineup for their Group C match against Hong Kong at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup 2023 메이저 토토사이트 at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday at 11:30 p.m. ET.
The UAE are a perennial favorite in the Middle East, having reached the quarterfinals of the last two Asian Cups. At the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia, they lost 0-2 to South Korea in the quarterfinals before defeating Iraq in the third-place match.
At the 2019 AFC Asian Cup on home soil, they lost 0-4 to eventual champions Qatar in the quarterfinals before falling to Iran in the third-place playoff to finish fourth. They are aiming for at least a top-four finish at the tournament.
In July last year, the UAE handed the reins to Bento, who was previously in charge of the South Korean national team, ahead of the Asian Cup. Bento took over the reins of the national team just seven months after stepping down from his role with South Korea.
Bento is considered a master coach in South Korea. He took over the South Korean national team after the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. After a disastrous 2019 Asian Cup, where he was knocked out in the quarterfinals, he led South Korea to the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar for the first time in 12 years.
He is determined to continue the good memories of Qatar at the Asian Cup. The UAE’s recent six-match winning streak in A matches has raised expectations. The UAE could meet South Korea in the quarterfinals if they top Group C over Iran.
In the first leg against Hong Kong, Bento named a best eleven of Eisa-Aljaabi-Alhammadi-Nasser-Hammadi-Al Jabi-Nader-Ramadan-Kanedou Kohea-Sultan Adil-Lima.
Hong Kong will start with Yap Hung Fai-Wee Chee Nam-Gervik-Lee Ngai Hoi-Chan Shing-yi Chi-Wu Chun Ming-Tan Chun Lok-Chan Siu-kwan-Camargo-Oh-Fun Pui Hin.
Soccer fans are eager to see if Bento can lead the UAE to a fresh start in the first round of the Asian Cup group stage.