ABU DHABI // Josef Hickersberger starts his second spell at Al Wahda tonight, but admits he will has lost a vital member of his title-winning team.
"Pinga was a key player in winning the league," the Austrian said.
"He was the second best scorer for the club. He created a lot of goals and was very dangerous in the set pieces. It takes time to replace such players."
The Brazilian midfielder, 29, joined Al Ahli, the Dubai club, in the summer after they offered him a three-year contract rather than the one year on offer at Wahda. He even scored a penalty for Ahli in a 2-1 win against Sharjah last night.
"It's up to me to find different solutions and strike a good balance with the players in the squad," Hickersberger said. "I would like to bring in more players inside the box. The defence has been solid and that was another reason why we won the league."
Hickersberger, 63, resigned after four months as the national team coach of Bahrain to return to the Pro League earlier this month. His first match back in charge is against Al Shabab tonight (KO 5.10pm) at the Al Nahyan Stadium.
Hugo, another Brazilian, signed as the replacement for Pinga, is suffering from a sore back and is doubtful for the game, leaving Hickersberger with a selection problem.
"He hasn't trained in the last few days," he said. "He is unlikely to play but we may still have him on the bench."
The coach is convinced his Emirati contingent have the ability to win another title and is aiming to turn the Al Nahyan Stadium into a fortress.
"We won all the home games last season and that was also one of the reasons that we won the league," said Hickersberger. "If we play true to our potential, which I'm very hopeful of from this team, we will still be able to win.
"We don't take any opponent lightly, but we have more classy Emirati players than Shabab."
Hickersberger signed a two-year contract with the Bahrain Football Association in June, but returned to Wahda after Tite, the previous manager, returned to Brazil to take charge of Corinthians.
"When I got the offer to return to Wahda, I was happy, because I was returning to a club where I had spent a year-and-a-half and had some success," Hickersberger said. "I had different reasons to leave Bahrain and one of them is that I did not want to travel to Yemen for the Gulf Cup.
"As a football coach I can lose the job, but I don't want to put my life at risk by travelling to places where security is a concern."
Hickersberger has been following the Pro League closely in his absence and has picked the Abu Dhabi duo of Al Jazira and Baniyas as well as Al Wasl as the biggest threats to his side's title chances.
"Jazira are playing [best] of all teams," he said. "They are the most consistent. And it is not a surprise Baniyas are doing well. They are a young side with a lot of potential. Wasl are playing well and they are also on the title path."
apassela@thenational.ae
5.05pm, Abu Dhabi Sports
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014
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MATCH INFO
Day 1 at Mount Maunganui
England 241-4
Denly 74, Stokes 67 not out, De Grandhomme 2-28
New Zealand
Yet to bat
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The biog
Family: Parents and four sisters
Education: Bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing at American University of Sharjah
A self-confessed foodie, she enjoys trying out new cuisines, her current favourite is the poke superfood bowls
Likes reading: autobiographies and fiction
Favourite holiday destination: Italy
Posts information about challenges, events, runs in other emirates on the group's Instagram account @Anagowrunning
Has created a database of Emirati and GCC sportspeople on Instagram @abeermk, highlight: Athletes
Apart from training, also talks to women about nutrition, healthy lifestyle, diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure
The essentials
What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
When: Friday until March 9
Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.
Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.
Information: www.emirateslitfest.com
Scores
Day 2
New Zealand 153 & 56-1
Pakistan 227
New Zealand trail by 18 runs with nine wickets remaining
UAE%20Warriors%2045%20Results
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THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
The results of the first round are as follows:
Qais Saied (Independent): 18.4 per cent
Nabil Karoui (Qalb Tounes): 15.58 per cent
Abdelfattah Mourou (Ennahdha party): 12.88 per cent
Abdelkarim Zbidi (two-time defence minister backed by Nidaa Tounes party): 10.7 per cent
Youssef Chahed (former prime minister, leader of Long Live Tunisia): 7.3 per cent
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
SERIES SCHEDULE
First Test, Galle International Stadium
July 26-30
Second Test, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
August 3-7
Third Test, Pallekele International Stadium
August 12-16
First ODI, Rangiri Dambulla Stadium
August 20
Second ODI, Pallekele International Stadium
August 24
Third ODI, Pallekele International Stadium
August 27
Fourth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
August 31
Fifth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
September 3
T20, R Premadasa Stadium
September 6
UAE SQUAD
UAE team
1. Chris Jones-Griffiths 2. Gio Fourie 3. Craig Nutt 4. Daniel Perry 5. Isaac Porter 6. Matt Mills 7. Hamish Anderson 8. Jaen Botes 9. Barry Dwyer 10. Luke Stevenson (captain) 11. Sean Carey 12. Andrew Powell 13. Saki Naisau 14. Thinus Steyn 15. Matt Richards
Replacements
16. Lukas Waddington 17. Murray Reason 18. Ahmed Moosa 19. Stephen Ferguson 20. Sean Stevens 21. Ed Armitage 22. Kini Natuna 23. Majid Al Balooshi
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
T20 World Cup Qualifier fixtures
Tuesday, October 29
Qualifier one, 2.10pm – Netherlands v UAE
Qualifier two, 7.30pm – Namibia v Oman
Wednesday, October 30
Qualifier three, 2.10pm – Scotland v loser of qualifier one
Qualifier four, 7.30pm – Hong Kong v loser of qualifier two
Thursday, October 31
Fifth-place playoff, 2.10pm – winner of qualifier three v winner of qualifier four
Friday, November 1
Semi-final one, 2.10pm – Ireland v winner of qualifier one
Semi-final two, 7.30pm – PNG v winner of qualifier two
Saturday, November 2
Third-place playoff, 2.10pm
Final, 7.30pm
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
