UAE U-19s to leave for training camp to Croatia

The UAE Under-19 football squad will embark on a training camp to Croatia on Thursday to prep for the AFC Under-19 qualifiers to be held in Kyrgyzstan in October.

The 26-member squad, coached by Serbian Ljubinko Drulovic, will fly out of the Dubai International Airport for the Croatian capital of Zagreb, on Thursday morning. The camp has been divided into two phases with the squad undergoing training in Croatia before leaving for Slovenia.

The squad are scheduled to play six friendlies with other European teams during the twin segments of the camp. They will stay in Zagreb until August 10 before proceeding to Slovenia. The camp in Slovenia will run until August 24.

Drulovic, a former Serbian international, has been tasked with preparing this young squad and ensure qualification for the AFC Under-19 Championship to be held in Indonesia from October 18 to November 4 next year.

The top four teams from the tournament will qualify for the 2019 Fifa Under-20 World Cup.

The UAE are placed in Group A along with Bahrain, Oman, Nepal and Kyrgyzstan, who are the hosts of the group. The UAE take on Oman in their opener on October 31. Their next fixture is against Nepal on November 4. The UAE then take on hosts Kyrgyzstan on November 6, with their last match against Bahrain on November 8.

The squad had first assembled in July for two camps at the UAE Football Association headquarters in Al Khawaneej.

Meanwhile, the UAE Under-16 squad, who are already in Zagreb as part of their preparations for the AFC Under-16 qualifiers, will leave for Slovenia on Thursday. They played two friendlies against Under-17 sides during their stay in Zagreb. Their camp in Slovenia will run until August 15 where they are scheduled to play three friendlies against Slovenia and Macedonia's junior teams.

The UAE, coached by Ferdo Milin, are placed in Group E with the qualifiers taking place from September 20 to 24. The AFC Under-16 Championship is scheduled to take place in Malaysia from September 20 to October 7 next year.

Source: Khaleej Times