The Bangladesh national football team will take on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after sixteen years in closed-doors international friendly today as part of their preparations for next week's World Cup and Asia Cup Qualifier against Jordan.

The match will get underway at the Zayed Sport City Stadium in Abu Dhabi at 9:00pm (BST).

UAE have never lost to Bangladesh in their four previous meetings, once defeating the men in Red and Green 7-0 in the 1993 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. The last meeting between the two sides, in an Asian Cup Qualifiers fixture in November 1999, ended in a 3-0 loss for Bangladesh

Bangladesh's Spanish coach Gonzalo Sanchez Moreno is clearly focused on the team combination for next Thursday's tie against Jordan, instead of highlighting a result against the UAE, who are 113 places ahead of Bangladesh in the FIFA rankings and favourites to qualify for the final round of the World Cup from Group A of the qualifiers.

The 43-year-old coach will hope to avert a humiliation against the UAE, who recently handed 10-0 and 8-0 defeats to Malaysia and Timor Leste respectively in the ongoing World Cup and Asian Cup Qualifiers, as Bangladesh have been reduced to a depleted side following the exclusion of 12 key players due to bans imposed by the game's governing body, bookings, injuries and lack of form.

On the eve of his side's departure, Moreno said that both fixtures would be much more difficult for them due to inadequate preparations, but he also stated that his charges would be ready for the challenge with a target of performing well.

Moreno also expressed his concerns over his vulnerable backline, which features captain Rezaul Karim, Ariful Islam, Kesto Kumar, Tapu Barman, Wali Faisal, Shakil Ahmed, Nasirul Islam and Raihan Hasan. The coach will not only have to settle on a four-man backline, but also pick a possible starting eleven for the Jordan tie during the warm-up match.

Aside from the defence, there is also a problem up front, following an injury to striker Shakhawat Hossain Rony, which leaves young Nabib Newaj Jibon as the lone hitman in Moreno's 4-1-4-1 formation.