UAE vs Lebanon

The 2022 World Cup qualifying Group A gets underway this midweek as the United Arab Emirates meet Lebanon at Zabeel Stadium.

After pipping Vietnam to the top spot in Group G with an enthralling 3-2 home win on the final matchday of Round 2, the hosts head into Round 3 as one of the most in-form sides in Asia. UAE go into proceedings on the back of an impressive six-match winning streak, having netted 3+ goals in all six. In turn, they boast a 100% home record in the ongoing World Cup qualifying (W4) after scoring over 2.5 goals in each victory! Lebanon’s visit should provide UAE with another opportunity to add to their impressive scoring tally, considering their only previous home World Cup qualifying H2H on home turf yielded a comprehensive 6-2 triumph. Quick out of the blocks, the ‘Sons of Zayed’ have bagged 2+ first-half goals in three of their last four home internationals.

On the other hand, Lebanon squeezed into Round 3 as the fifth-best runners-up despite losing their last two qualifiers by an aggregate score of 5-3. Lapses in concentration after the restart saw each of their five goals conceded across those two losses arrive beyond half-time. A return of one victory from their last 14 away international fixtures (D2, L11) explains why the visitors enter this showdown as overwhelming outsiders. That does not affect Lebanon’s habit of producing high-scoring affairs on the road, as each of their three away World Cup qualifiers in Round 2 featured over 2.5 overall goals. With each of the last three H2Hs between these two nations seeing over 3.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet, we could be in for a treat here.