President’s Cup quarter-finals: Al Ain travel to Al Nasr in search of domestic double

John McAuley provides all the team news ahead of the President’s Cup quarter-finals. All matches on Saturday, except for Al Dhafra v Ajman (Sunday).

Al Shabab v Baniyas

Caio Junior’s side come into the match off the back of Tuesday’s semi-final victory against Al Nasr in the GCC Clubs Championship, so spirits are high.

“Reaching the final gives us more motivation, and a lot of confidence in what we are doing,” said Carlos Villanueva, the Shabab captain. “We are strong mentally and technically, so we are well prepared to face Baniyas. We give 100 per cent respect to them; they are a good team and they beat another good team like Al Wasl to reach this stage, so it’s going to be a very difficult game. But the whole squad is very focused.”

Baniyas, meanwhile, have a number of players missing through injury, although they have been buoyed by recent victories against Wasl and Al Ahli.

Al Nasr v Al Ain

Al Ain will seek to take advantage of their opponents’ lengthy injury list, with Nasr emerging from the midweek defeat to Shabab with a number of concerns. Zlatko Dalic’s side, the defending champions, remain on course for the double, but must also take into account next week’s crucial Asian Champions League clash. They welcome back Miroslav Stoch and Hilal Saeed, who missed Wednesday’s first leg against Al Ahli, which should give the squad a much-needed boost during this incredibly busy period.

“The players are human, not machines, so they need sufficient rest,” Dalic said. “But I’ve told my players that our team is looking like a great team. We have spirit and are all playing together. We are like a family everywhere.”

Dubai v Al Ahli

Ahli are wary of the threat posed by Dubai club, who provided the shock of the previous round by defeating Al Wahda on penalties. Thus, the Division One side are targeting another upset and will hope to catch cold a weary Ahli after Cosmin Olaroiu’s side played out a gruelling stalemate against Al Ain in the Asian Champions League on Wednesday. However, Abdulaziz Sanqour, the Ahli defender, insists last year’s finalists will not take for granted their opponents, saying: “The match is important and in knockout competitions there is no room for error. There are no big or small teams in the cup. It is our ambition to win the trophy, but before we get to the final we must treat every game as a final.”

Al Dhafra v Ajman

Laurent Banide’s men will be keen to dispatch Ajman in normal time, after their nail-biting shootout victory against Fujairah in the previous round. They realise a second President’s Cup semi-final is no guarantee, though, especially since their opponents put relegation to Division One behind them with a surprise last-16 win at Al Jazira.

“Ajman have the same chance to qualify as us, simply because it’s football, and in a one-off game you cannot know who the winner will be until the referee blows the final whistle,” said Makhete Diop, the Dhafra striker. “Ajman showed strong character against Al Jazira, even though they were relegated from the Arabian Gulf League, so of course we respect them and what they are capable of. But that doesn’t mean we fear them.”

jmcauley@thenational.ae

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