AFC Asian Cup 2023: United Arab Emirates vs Hong Kong: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head, telecast

Hong Kong are the lowest ranked side in this AFC Asian Cup edition.

The United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong will begin their respective 2023 AFC Asian Cup campaigns by facing each other at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Sunday, 14 January 2024. 

Both teams find each other in Group C alongside Iran and Palestine. While the UAE are favourites to advance into the next round with Iran, Hong Kong will hope to cause a few upsets and aim to reach the Round of 16 themselves. There are two routes to the knockout stages, one will be to secure either of the top two spots, while the second will be to finish as one of the best third-placed teams in the group stages. 

Hong Kong being the lowest-ranked team in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup is not favoured for a win against the UAE. However, the nature of the tournament is such that an upset can occur when one least expects it. On that note, here is a look at how both the teams shape up before the exciting fixture:

Kick-off

Sunday, 14 January 2024, 14:30 PM GMT at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar.

Form

United Arab Emirates (all competitions): W-W-W-W-L

Hong Kong (all competitions): L-L-D-L-L

Player to Watch

Ali Mabkhout (United Arab Emirates)

Ali Mabkhout is the driving force behind the United Arab Emirates men’s football team. The attacker has 85 international goals in 114 caps for the nation. He will be the main source of goals for the outfit at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. The 33-year-old might be playing his last-ever Asian Cup and would like to finish on a strong note.

Michael Udebuluzor (Hong Kong)

Michael Udebuluzor is one of the two players in the Hong Kong squad who plays club football in Europe. The forward plays for Ingolstadt 04 II in Germany. He already has two goals in five appearances for the Dragons in international football. It will be interesting to see how the 19-year-old handles the pressure of playing at the biggest stage in Asian football for the national team.

Match Facts

• Hong Kong (150) is the lowest-ranked team in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in terms of FIFA rankings.
• United Arab Emirates have never won the Asian Cup with their best finish being runners-up in the 1996 edition.
• The United Arab Emirates have not lost to Hong Kong in any of the previous three meetings between the sides.

Head to Head

Total Matches Played – 3

United Arab Emirates wins – 2

Hong Kong wins – 0

Draws – 1

Predicted Lineup

United Arab Emirates (4-2-3-1)

Eisa (GK), Sultan, Salmin, Hashemi, Ramadan, Lima, Suhail, Hamad, Canedo, Al Hammadi, Mabkhout

Hong Kong (4-3-3)

Yapp (GK), Law, Gerbig, Li, Sun, Lam, Chan, Tan, Camargo, Orr, Udebuluzor

Match Prediction

Facing the United Arab Emirates, favourites to qualify for the knockout stages from Group C, will likely be too difficult a task for Hong Kong, who are the lowest-ranked team at the AFC Asian Cup.

Prediction: United Arab Emirates 3-0 Hong Kong

Telecast for United Arab Emirates vs Hong Kong

India – Sports 18, Jio Cinema

United Arab Emirates – ADTV

Hong Kong, China – Hoy TV

Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Oman – BeinSports, Alkass

United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Belgium, Netherlands – Triller TV

Australia – Network 10

For worldwide broadcast information, click here.

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