Paulo Bento said he hopes the UAE can restore supporters’ confidence in the national team as preparations continue for next week’s start to qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
The former Portugal and South Korea manager, appointed in July as successor to Rodolfo Arruabarrena, will take charge of his first competitive match with the UAE on Thursday, when they kick off the qualifiers at home to Nepal. That match takes place at Al Nasr’s Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai.
Drawn in Group H for the second round of qualification, the UAE then face Bahrain away on November 21. Yemen make up the other side in the pool.
The national team, who narrowly missed out on a spot at last year’s World Cup, are seeking to become only the second UAE side to reach a global finals, and first since 1990.
Speaking after training at Zabeel Stadium on Thursday night, Bento told a group of reporters: “We are doing the best possible preparation for the first official game. We know it’s an important game for us, because it’s the first of the qualifiers, and we are going to play at home.
“After today, we have all the players in the camp, because before some of them were competing with their clubs [Sharjah and Al Ain] in the Asian Champions League.
“We are satisfied with the commitment of the players. We are in the good way to make a good game and, of course, try to gain the three points.”
Bento, 54, has guided both Portugal – his homeland - and South Korea to World Cups, in 2014 and 2022 respectively. At last year’s tournament in Qatar, he led South Korea to the knockout stages, where they lost to Brazil.
Bento has won all three matches as UAE manager: a trio of friendlies against Costa Rica, Kuwait and Lebanon.
“Our goal is to restore the confidence and faith of the fans in the national team by continuing the positive results,” the Portuguese said. “We ask the fans to be present behind the national team, because their presence is important to motivate the players to perform better."
The 2026 World Cup, to be held in the Unites States, Canada and Mexico, has been expanded to 48 teams, with the number of Asian representatives increased from four guaranteed to eight. There is also one spot available through the intercontinental play-offs.
However, Bento said: "Increasing the number of qualifying places for the World Cup does not mean the task is easy, because all teams have the same ambition.
“But we have the desire and determination to fight for our chances of qualifying.”
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Breast cancer in men: the facts
1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.
2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash.
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Lecce v SPAL (6pm)
Bologna v Genoa (9pm)
Atlanta v Roma (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Hellas Verona (3.30pm)
Juventus v Brescia (6pm)
Sampdoria v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sassuolo v Parma (6pm)
Cagliari v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
Monday
AC Milan v Torino (11.45pm)
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
