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Paraguay and the United Arab Emirates will lock horns at the Stadion Wiener Neustadt in neutral Austria for a friendly game on Friday, although neither team have qualified for the upcoming World Cup.
The Guaranies finished a lowly eighth in the CONMEBOL qualifiers after collecting only 16 points from 18 games, with only Bolivia (15) and Venezuela (10) amassing fewer.
After a run of four consecutive World Cup appearances between 1998 and 2010, Paraguay have failed to qualify for the third time in a row.
The UAE, meanwhile, came agonizingly close to sealing their place in the competition but lost out 2-1 to Australia in the fourth and final AFC round.
Ajdin Hrustic scored in the 84th minute to break the Emirates hearts, as their wait for a second appearance at the World Cup continued.
Paraguay vs UAE Head-To-Head
This is just the second meeting between Paraguay and the UAE.
Their last and only prior meeting also came in a friendly game, back in September 2014 when the sides played out a goalless draw.
Paraguay Form Guide (all competitions): W-D-L-L-W
UAE Form Guide (all competitions): L-D-W-L-L
Paraguay vs UAE Team News
Paraguay
The Guaranies have summoned 24 players for their upcoming pair of friendlies against the UAE and Morocco, including Newcastle United star Miguel Almiron.
Most notably, though, Angel Romero misses out with an injury.
Juan Espinola and Roberto Fernandez are in line to make their international debuts, while Derlis Gonzalez is looking to hit double figures for goals.
Injured: Angel Romero
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
The UAE
The Whites have named a 24-man squad for the Paraguay and Venezuela friendlies, which includes prolific striker Ali Mabkhout, who's struck 80 goals in 107 games.
Al Ain trio Saeed Jumaa, Falah Waleed and Khaled Al Balushi have received their first call-ups, while Al Ahli player Ahmed Jamil is also in line to make his international debut.
Injured: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
Paraguay vs UAE Predicted XI
Paraguay (4-2-3-1): Antony Silva; Ivan Piris, Gustavo Gomez, Fabian Balbuena, Santiago Arzamendia; Richard Ortiz, Andres Cubas; Matthias Villasanti, Miguel Almiron, Jesus Medina; Derlis Gonzalez.
The UAE (4-2-3-1): Khalid Eisa; Khaled Ibrahim, Mohammed Al-Attas, Khalifa Al-Hammadi, Walid Abbas; Abdulla Hamad, Ali Salmeen; Caio Canedo, Abdullah Ramadan, Harib Al-Maazmi; Ali Mabkhout.
Paraguay vs UAE Prediction
The UAE will be banking on Ali Mabkhout for goals but Paraguay are a more cohesive unit and could beat them, albeit narrowly.
Prediction: Paraguay 1-0 UAE
