Overview
- The first leg is Thursday at Abu Dhabi’s Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium with the return in Basra next Tuesday.
- A sellout crowd of about 36,000 is expected in Abu Dhabi, while roughly 60,000 are anticipated to back Iraq in Basra.
- Iraq coach Graham Arnold targets qualification and leans on his 2022 World Cup experience with Australia, as UAE coach Cosmin Olaroiu urges players to channel the sting of the Qatar loss.
- Both teams missed automatic qualification in October and criticized the prior round’s home advantage and longer rest given to their opponents.
- Iraq seeks a first finals since 1986 and the UAE since 1990, with the build-up in the Emirates marked by former playmaker Omar Abdulrahman’s retirement announcement.