They are going for the feat. While the Peruvian national team is in Barcelona preparing for the playoffs for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Australia and the United Arab Emirates will define the opponent of the Bicolor in the decisive match.
Although the Socceroos are favorites, the Emirati team has a coach who knows South American soccer very well. Rodolfo Arruabarrena took over as head coach of the team in early 2022 and will seek a historic qualification for the World Cup after 32 years.
Arruabarrena only coached the United Arab Emirates on three occasions. Photo: Twitter/@UAEFNT
The 'Vasco' is a former footballer who was part of the historic Boca Juniors team that won the 2000 Copa Libertadores under the orders of Carlos Bianchi. After his successful career, he managed to move to European football and with the Villarreal shirt, he reached the semifinals of the Champions League in 2006. Four years later, he retired and started his new role as a coach.
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After his stay at Tigre in Argentina and Nacional in Uruguay, Boca Juniors decided to hire him in 2014. The former defender did a good job in the local tournament; however, the failures in the Copa Libertadores ended up determining his departure.
In 2015, he was eliminated in the round of 16 against River Plate —a year earlier, he was also eliminated by the eternal rival, but in the Copa Sudamericana—, while in 2016, he lost to Independiente del Valle in the semifinals of the continental tournament.
The 'Vasco' was champion of the Argentine tournament with Boca Juniors. Photo: TyC Sports
The poor campaigns cost him his position and he decided to try his luck in clubs in the Middle East and Africa: between 2018 and 2021, he was in charge of Al Wasl, Al-Rayyan, Shabab Dubai, and Pyramids FC. In February 2022, he received the proposal to coach the United Arab Emirates national team and accepted the position to replace the Dutchman Bert van Marwijk.
He took charge of the team in the final stretch of the Asian qualifiers and so far has a record of one draw, one win, and one loss. In their last presentation, they drew 1-1 in a friendly against Gambia.
When do Australia vs. United Arab Emirates play?
The match between Australia vs. United Arab Emirates will be played on Tuesday, June 7, starting at 1:00 p.m. (Peruvian time) from the Al Rayyan Stadium in Qatar. The winner of this match will face Peru on Monday, June 13, for a place in Group D of the Qatar 2022 World Cup.