Wednesday, Aug 26, 2015
Abu Dhabi: Arabian Gulf Cup holders Al Nasr face a testing trip to Bani Yas as they launch their defence of the trophy on Thursday.
The two sides are in Group A of the competition, while the night’s other fixture sees Al Shabab entertain newly promoted Arabian Gulf League outfit Dibba in Group B. The top two in each pool progress to the semi-finals.
Al Nasr prevailed in last season’s competition with a thumping 4-1 final victory over Sharjah in January.
The Blue Wave will be strong contenders again, having proved their cup pedigree with three trophies in the past year.
Aside from their Arabian Gulf Cup victory, Ivan Jovanovic’s men also claimed the 2014 GCC Champions League and the 2015 UAE President’s Cup.
They have also made some astute summer signings, recruiting the guileful Chilean midfielder Luis Jimenez from Al Ahli, Al Ain targetman Jires Kembo Ekoko, and the wiry winger Jonathan Pitroipa from Al Jazira.
Jimenez made an immediate impact for his new club with both goals in the 2-1 home win over Emirates in Al Nasr’s first game of the new Arabian Gulf League (AGL) season last Friday.
However, whether he and his fellow established stars play on Thursday remains to be seen, as the competition is often used as a breeding ground for young talent and reserve players.
Furthermore, the UAE have a friendly against Myanmar on Friday, meaning the AGL clubs’ leading Emiratis will not be in cup action this week.
Jovanovic said: “This competition is nice because you can give a chance to players that maybe aren’t featuring in the other tournaments and prepare them as cover.
“That said, we won it last year and we still want to produce our best performance in every game. But I’d say that we had more pressure to win this title last season than we have defending it this year.”
But one man who will be taking the competition seriously is Bani Yas boss Luis Garcia, who said last week he is desperate to enjoy cup success this season.
The Spaniard said: “We can’t compete with Al Ain, Al Jazira and Al Ahli [in the league], but we are in a group below with Al Nasr and Al Wahda. In the cups, we need to up our level. Last year we had bad luck and lost some cups.
“But I think this year we can do well in them here and in the Gulf Champions Cup [GCC Champions League].”
His sentiments were echoed by the club’s new defensive midfielder and Australia international Mark Milligan, who said: “We have worked extremely hard in preseason and the team want to do better than last season. We have high expectations and will have many opportunities to be successful with the cups as well as the league.”
Garcia went on to hail the merits of Milligan and his two other overseas signings, the Argentinian striker Joaquin Larrivey and fellow forward Ishak Beldodil, who is from Algeria. He said they could cement themselves as among the best players in the AGL.
The trio all impressed in Bani Yas’ opening AGL encounter, a 2-0 away win at Al Shaab, with Larrivey and Belfodil both on target.
Another new arrival who excelled in the opening week of the AGL was Al Shabab’s Brazilian striker Jo.
While he did not score in his side’s 2-1 home win over Sharjah on Friday evening, the Hawks’ boss Caio Junior praised the former Manchester City and Everton man’s all-round contribution.
He said: “He [Jo] is very important to us because he has the power and has a fantastic analytical mind. We needed a player like him up front as he brings so much mental and physical strength into the group. All other players work their way around him and that is one ingredient that can make a huge difference.”
By Euan Reedie Chief Sports Writer ? Abu Dhabi
Gulf News 2015. All rights reserved.
