On their third consecutive AFC Asian Cup appearance, Palestine fell to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Islamic Republic of Iran at the start of their campaign, but Battat insists the challenge at Al Janoub Stadium will be a more realistic one.
“We were not afraid of Iran. Yes, they are a strong team with quality players, but we are also a good team, and we have no fear,” said Battat.

“We are now fully focused on the UAE, which is also a team we respect, but in football, teams are at different levels which is natural, and the UAE is just a bit closer to our level than Iran was.”

“We have put the first game behind us and now we are fully focused on the second match against UAE which is just as important. It is a must win match and we will put all our efforts into trying to get the win and advance to the next round.

“The players are experienced and have a strong mentality; we have many players who are playing abroad. We knew the difficulties of the Iran match, but we are united and that has helped us to overcome the result and move on. We all have the same objective and we focused on it immediately after the final whistle of the first match.”

For the UAE, a 3-1 victory over Hong Kong, China, offered a positive start to the campaign as they hope to go as far as the semi-finals for the third consecutive time, and midfielder Ali Salmin wants to seal a place in the next round with a second win on the trot.

“We are fully focused on this game, our ambition is to win and reach the sixth point that will bring us closer to qualifying with a game to spare,” said Salmin.

“I would like to thank the coaching staff for all their help in preparing us for this tournament, and also thanks for the fans who are supporting us in the stadium and behind the screens back home.

“The players are all united and this is very important in tournaments like this, whether we start or are on the bench, we have to all be together and this is what can take us forward and help us get the win.

“We want to be focused on the pitch and implement the strategy of the coach for the second game.”