A point separating the two teams, involved in a four-way battle for the crucial top two spots and in need of three points pretty much every game they play – UAE vs Japan promises to be a humdinger of a FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifier.
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Revenge and a much-needed victory is what Japan will have on their minds when they walk out onto the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium pitch in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Japan were given a rude awakening by the UAE when these two teams met in the first round of matches of the third phase of Asian qualifying, with the Middle East side pulling off a marvellous 2-1 victory in Saitama.
That defeat threatened to derail Japan's hopes of qualifying for another FIFA World Cup, but the Asian powerhouses have bounced back well from that early setback, with three wins and a draw in their next four matches.
However, with just one point separating four teams in Group B, Japan need to gain that revenge and pick up a win over the UAE.
"This is a very important game for both teams, a very difficult game for Japan and the UAE," Japan head coach Vahid Halilhodzic said. "We came here to win, which is not an easy task. But we are prepared to do this."
Japan have been dealt a big blow with the loss of their captain Makoto Hasebe for this game, but Halilhodzic is hopeful the other experienced players can step up in the midfielder's absence.
"Not having Hasebe is a big handicap for us but all of his teammates will do everything to cover his absence and we have to have ambition and hope to do that," Halilhodzic added.
Japan, however, are not the only team missing crucial players, with the UAE also having to deal with several injuries and suspensions, none more so than to their main man Ahmed Khalil – the scorer of both the goals in the win over the Blue Samurai in September last year – with the forward struggling with a calf injury.
"We are missing many players but we are used to this situation and have been in this situation many times," UAE head coach Mahdi Ali said. "It is part of football.
"We should not think about the injuries but think about how we have to play this match. We will try our best and work hard to get a positive result from this game."
When and where to watch live
UAE vs Japan is set to begin at 7.30pm local time, 9pm IST, 12.30am Japan time (Friday), 3.30pm GMT. Live streaming and TV information is below.
Middle East: TV: Bein Sports Arabia1. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
Japan: TV: TBS.
India: No live coverage.
USA: TV: ESPN3. Live Streaming: Watch ESPN.
SouthEast Asia: TV: Fox Sports.
China: TV: PPTV and Star Sports.
