Shabab want to make it count by winning AGC
Dubai club take on Abu Dhabi giants in final today
DUBAI — It’s no April Fool joke.
Al Shabab benefitted from UAE FA’s decision to disqualify Al Ahli from making the Arabian Gulf Cup final after they fielded an ineligible player in their semifinal clash. The Hawks had lost that match 3-2 against the Red Knights but were awarded the three points by UAE FA. Now Caio Junior’s side would like to put that episode behind them and focus on the final to be played at the Al Maktoum Stadium (Dubai) today at 7.20 pm.
And, who better to be in charge of them than the Brazilian who will be a part of five finals since his entry into the Arab world.
Speaking at his pre-match Press conference ahead of the big game, the Al Shabab coach said: “I am very happy to be here in my fifth final since arriving in the Gulf region in 2010. I won two in Qatar, I won one with Al Jazira in 2012, and we won the GCC Club Cup with Al Shabab last season, so we want to continue. “I think it’s important to remember about the first phase in this competition. Al Shabab was the best team in the group stage and we were the first to qualify to the semifinals. Against Al Ahli in the semifinal we played very well and in my opinion my players deserve to be in the final.”
Caio reiterated the importance of playing in a final. “To play a final is different; it’s the most important thing in football. We need to understand and respect the opponent and to know what to do on the pitch. We need a clear strategy. In a final you don’t need to play pretty, you need to respect the opponent but you need to win above all.”
However, the coach has his task cut out with Naser Masood ruled out due to injury. “Also we will be missing Haydarov, Dawood Ali, Hassan Ibrahim and Jasem Salem Johar because of national team duty. Haydarov played a game in Uzbekistan two days ago but he is very experienced and he can come back and fit straight into the team.” Captain Carlos Villanueva also confirmed the eager anticipation throughout the squad to play in Friday’s Final.
The Chilean midfielder said: “We are very happy and very excited to be in the final, you can see right through the squad that all the players are very motivated. Finals are very special, I think the team is ready to face this, and we must respect the opponent,” he said.
Turning his attention to the opponents, Villanueva added: “Al Wahda is a very good team and we always experience a tough game against them; we’ve met three times already this season and all three games ended in narrow 1-0 results, so you can see how close the contest is with them. I think the secret is to be focused for the full 90 minutes; any mistake could be very costly and punished quickly. Any chance we create, we have to take it. Always a final is very tough and the small details make the difference. We have to be very focused not to make mistakes and also to capitalise on any errors they make.”