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There are no easy matches, says Mahdi Ali

Abu Dhabi - Mahdi Ali's team ready to take on Malaysia tonight

UAE coach Mahdi Ali reckoned there are no more 'easy' matches in Asia and said that they wouldn't be taking Malaysia lightly.
The Whites host the south-east Asian country in a World Cup qualifier at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium on Thursday night, and though Malaysia sit at the bottom of Group A, Mahdi Ali would know that not giving their opponents respect, would be a travesty.
The UAE were rusty in their 1-0 win against Timor Leste in their opening fixture, back in June. Understandably, it was the first bit of action for Mahdi Ali's men since their Australian excursion, which culminated in a bronze at the AFC Asian Cup.
Since then, the players have juggled between pre-season training camps with their respective clubs and the onset of League action.
The squad had convened for a camp on August 23, which also included 11 Olympic team players. And in the run-up to this fixture, the UAE played Myanmar in a friendly last Friday, which they won by a solitary goal.
Though Malaysia were walloped 6-0 by Palestine, Mahdi Ali viewed the footage and believed the scoreline doesn't do justice to their performance.
"There is nothing like an easy match in Asia or anywhere. All the Asian teams have show improvement over the past few years. We have to respect Malaysia," Mahdi Ali said on the eve of the game, at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
"Yes, they lost against Palestine but that is not an evaluation or judgement on how Malaysia will perform on Thursday. If anybody watched them against Palestine, they will understand that the score doesn't actually reflect their performance. It happens in football that you play well but you are unlucky in terms of the result and the scoreline," he added.
The game will be played in searing conditions and Mahdi Ali, while admitting that it was far from ideal, said that they would have to cope with it.
"We know these are not ideal weather conditions with the high humidity. But it shouldn't be an excuse. Other countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia too have the League at the same time and they also started in mid-August. Of course, the weather will affect both teams. The schedule is set by AFC and Fifa and we have to go according to that. We have to train in this weather and play in this weather. We have to work hard in this weather. I don't think it is an issue," he said.
The Arabian Gulf League schedule has come under a lot of criticism with Al Wasl coach Gabriel Calderon saying that football shouldn't be played in such weather and added that a player or referee might die on the pitch in such conditions.
Meanwhile, defender Ismail Ahmed was hoping for a positive result and said that it was their dream to qualify for Russia 2018.
"We are prepared for this match. It is important for our progress. We are very excited for Thursday's game as well as the other games. We are dreaming to be a part of Russia 2018. So, we have to focus on each match and hope for a positive result. Now, we are only focussing on the game against Malaysia," said the Al Ain centre back.
The UAE are placed third in the Group behind Saudi Arabia. Palestine, who had lost to Saudi Arabia 3-2 in their opener, lead the group on superior goal difference.
james@khaleejtimes.com