(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Al Wasl and Shabab Al Ahli will look to go for broke when the sides square off in the second leg of their Arabian Gulf Cup semifinal fixture at the Zabeel Stadium on Thursday night.
The Cup tie stands on a knife's edge after they played out a stalemate in the first leg at the Rashid Stadium earlier this month. With no away goal advantage as the game had ended goalless, it raises the prospect of an open an intense fixture at Al Wasl's fortress.
And with Al Wasl and Shabab Al Ahli both out of the reckoning for the League spoils, the Cup represents one of two chances to land silverware this season, apart from the President's Cup.
Both the coaches Al Wasl's Rodolfo Arruabarrena and Shabab Al Ahli's Mahdi Ali underlined the importance the Cup holds for them this season.
"It is an important game for us and it will be difficult game given that it will be against one of the biggest teams in the UAE," Arruabarrena said at his press conference.
"This is the last step to reach the final and the team has the desire to come up with a strong showing and qualify for the final," the Argentine added.
The Cheetahs have endured some tough times in the Arabian Gulf League with five defeats, all coming in the new year, of which four have been in their last five fixtures. That has meant that the Bur Dubai club have ceded position and dropped to fourth in the League.
But Arruabarrena said that they would look to bounce back and try and finish in the top three so as to earn an AFC Champions League spot. He also added that their goal is to win one of the two trophies - the Arabian Gulf Cup or the President's Cup this season.
"We still have three games to play in the League and we will put up a strong challenge to reach third place and ensure qualification for the AFC Champions League. Our biggest goal is to win one of our trophies this year. We will strive to win and reach the final of the Arabian Gulf Cup and we hope to have a strong participation in the President's Cup," said the former Boca Juniors coach.
Meanwhile, Mahdi Ali hoped for a positive result against Al Wasl after the stalemate. "Everyone knows how important the game against Al Wasl is. We must overcome our difficulties and rise to the occasion. We have a few problems because of injuries, especially in our back line. But I have great confidence in the players who will come in. It is a chance for them to step up," said Mahdi Ali.
"We are not looking at Al Wasl's recent results. Al Wasl are a strong team with a top coach. But it is important that we think about ourselves and how we can cope. We must be on top of the focus and remain calm," he added.
Shabab Al Ahli had lost 3-0 to Al Wasl in the League but Mahdi Ali said the Cup and the League were totally different. "The Cup is always different from the League. There will always be surprises in Cup games," said the Emirati.
Meanwhile, in the other semifinal, Al Wahda make the road trip to Fujairah to meet Dibba. The Clarets had won the first leg 4-2.
| KICK-OFF: Dibba vs Al Wahda, Fujairah Stadium,5.40 p.m Al Wasl vs Shabab Ali Ahli, Zabeel Stadium, 8.15 p,m |
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