Cup final a beautiful occasion, says Shabab Al Ahli coach
al ain — Shabab Al Ahli coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena described Friday’s Arabian Gulf Cup final clash against Al Wahda as a beautiful occasion, a press release said.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, the Argentine said there was little to separate the two sides.
Arruabarrena called on his team to pay extra attention to the small details which play a crucial role in such encounters.
“Al Wahda are a big team. They are used to playing finals. They have a top-class coach and good players in their squad. They are having a great season, especially in this competition where they haven’t lost a single match,” Arruabarrena said the at the press conference on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Shabab Al Ahli youngster Eisa Obaid is delighted to be involved in the first final of his professional career.
“We prepared well for this showpiece,” said Obaid. “I expect a difficult match between these two big teams. From our side, we will do our best to win the match and win the title for our fans.”
Al Wahda coach Henk ten Cate hailed Shabab Al Ahli as a strong team.
“Shabab Al Ahli have a good squad of players,” said the Dutchman. “But we will do our best to win the cup.” The former Al Jazira boss praised defender Hamdan Al Kamali, describing him as one of the top defenders in the country, and hailed his contribution in the team’s excellent defensive form which saw them concede just once in eight Arabian Gulf Cup matches.
Al Kamali also expressed his satisfaction with Al Wahda’s season. “We are happy to be at the Arabian Gulf Cup final for the second year running,” said the 29-year-old player.
“We won the Super Cup and we are now here in the final. We are having a good season so far.”
Al Kamali said Ten Cate’s experience will help the team navigate the injury crisis as right-back Mohammed Al Menhali and winger Khalil Ibrahim have been ruled out of the final.
Defensive midfielder Mohammed Al Abdulla also suffered an injury during a training session on Wednesday.
The three injuries have added to the Clarets’ woes as they are now nine men short.
Six of their players had already been drafted into the UAE U23 national team that will take part in the Asian qualifiers for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, the organisers have announced that the fans at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium will enjoy many entertaining events starting 4pm until the end of the game on Friday.