(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The Hazza bin Zayed Stadium will host the best of Latin American club football as Brazilian side Gremio take on Mexican outfit Pachuca. And up for grabs is a place in the Fifa Club World Cup final.
Copa Libertadores winners Gremio, making their tournament debut, have got in their ranks some of the top names from South America. And the players are high on confidence. Gremio defender Bruno Cortez, who joined the club this year, said the players are already looking at the final on Saturday.
"We will be lying, if we said we're not thinking about Real Madrid. But we've got our feet on the ground because we've still got to play the semifinal. And it's a very tough. It is very important match. We've got to focus on our semifinal opponents and nothing else."
Striker Lucas Barrios said Gremio have got the right elements to clinch the title on Saturday.
"The players are strong and tightly knit with no individual egos. And then there's the fact that we play better away than we do at home. That shows how mature we are as a team. We haven't come to the Club World Cup to make up the numbers. Our dream is to return home with the trophy."
Barrios said the club will deploy the same approach that helped it clinch a third Copa Libertadores title. "We know that some people are expecting us to make the final. If we're going to make it, we have to think about the semifinal first. That's how we approached every tie in the Libertadores and it worked well for us," Barrios added.
Even as South America 'Kings' are flying high, a certain Concacaf Champions League winners CF Pachuca are knitting their own strategy. The 'Los Tuzos' are set to play their first semifinal in four appearances and eye being the first Mexican side to lift the trophy. And they are into the semis after a fighting 120-minute encounter against Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca.
Goal scorer Victor Guzman, strikers Angelo Sagal and Jonathan Urretaviscaya, veteran keeper Oscar Perez among others all are in good form. Coach Diego Alonso is hoping the players will come good on Tuesday. "There's a huge prize waiting for us. This is a game in which we can make history for Concacaf football and do something no other Mexican team has ever done. I hope we can make the final because the fans and the players in particular deserve it."
He is pinning hope on Guzman to again deliver the goods. "Victor is a great player. He has matured a lot. I am running out of ways to praise him," the coach added. And the man of the moment Guzman is hopeful about Pachuca thumping Gremio and reaching the finals. "We'll have to be fully focused right from the off and not concede, because I'm sure we'll have a lot of opportunities to score that we can take advantage of," the 22-year-old added. Pachuca challenge Gremio at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain on Tuesday and it will be a nail-bitter. The winner will take on Al Jazira or Real Madrid in Saturday's final.
-
MENAFN1112201700490000ID1096219301
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.