The UAE will begin their quest for a World Cup berth when they face Malaysia in a dual 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup qualifying encounter on Thursday.

The UAE must win all four matches to advance to another round of qualifying and keep their World Cup hopes alive.

The hosts now sit in fourth place in Group G. In the second round, they will play four matches. Only its champion and the four best runners-up will advance to the next round automatically.

“We have worked incredibly hard for this game, and we know that anything short than a win will not suffice. “We have to win everything from start to the end,” Marwijk stated.

“I can't alter anything; the players and everyone on the team realize that we'll have to win,” added the Dutchman, who is in his second stint as UAE national team coach.

The UAE trail leaders Vietnam by five points and are only six points ahead of Indonesia after four games. The UAE has started playing one fewer game than the rest of the group.

He downplayed ideas of home advantage but welcomed the supporters' return to the stadium.

“I enjoy playing on nice fields. It is an excellent pitch. And, as Ali stated, everyone is relieved that the fans have returned. As a result, having spectators at the stadium is usually beneficial.

“Whether we are at home or not, we should perform. So there were additional fans in Malaysia during the first leg,” the coach informed.

Malaysia is playing away games after being beaten by the UAE on their home field in 2019 until the epidemic struck and forced all athletic activity to a standstill.

The UAE FA has granted permission for supporters to participate in the Asian qualifiers in Dubai. The UAE FA made the declaration after receiving authorization from the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority and the Crisis and Disaster Management Team in Dubai.

The fans would be permitted to operate at 30% capacity while adhering to rigorous safety measures. They must present their vaccination certificates and a negative COVID-19 report obtained 48 hours before the commencement of the match.

The UAE FA's decision was motivated by the desire to show their support for the national squad, which is in the midst of a crucial second round of Asian qualifiers.

Marwijk spoke on the strain of playing consistently as though it were a must-win game, saying, "I believe we need a little pressure to play better at the top." Players are so used to being in these kinds of settings, so there should be no difficulty for them or me. Moreover, all through my life, I just concentrate on the next match. You can't concentrate on far too many things if you wish to play effectively and athletes are conscious of this. So there is only one option we must do: win,” he explained.

Following the encounter against Malaysia on Thursday, the UAE will face Thailand four days later, accompanied by two more games against Indonesia and leaders Vietnam on June 11 and 15, respectively.

To make up for the time missed owing to the pandemic, the second-round matches have been jammed into a jam-packed 13-day schedule. The second round begins after an 18-month delay, having been postponed three times before owing to the coronavirus.

Nevertheless, Malaysia's national team coach, Tan Shing Hui, has pledged to go all out to earn their victory and keeping their qualifying chances alive.

“I aim to contribute everything we have here in the remaining World Cup qualifiers, aiming to be at the top of our focus, commencing with the UAE, whom we confront in the first game of the qualifications following its restart again,” Sheng Hui stated. The Malaysian coach described why he decided to play friendly matches with Kuwait and Bahrain as a section of his preparation for the qualifiers: "We picked the Kuwaiti and Bahrain national player to compete in the friendly matches to adjust with the hot Gulf environment, and because of the resemblance of styles of play between them and the UAE team."

“And we profited greatly from those experiences, and we look forward to taking those gains into action in tomorrow's match,” he continued.

Adel Zafwan Abdel Razek, a Malaysian national team member, stated, "The UAE has been progressing well from the last time we encountered their team." But, we are prepared to meet them and come out on top. They have fantastic players, however in my perspective, Ali Mabkhout and Fabio Lima are the toughest and most recognized,” he continued.