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Al Ahli v Al Shaab Pre-Match Press Conferences

Quique Flores expressed his happiness at welcoming back his international stars as Al Ahli host Al Shaab on Saturday night at the Rashid Stadium. During his pre-match press conference, Flores confirmed: “For the past two weeks we have been training without any of our players who represent their national teams, but now they are all back and we are ready as a squad to face Al Shaab.” However, the Spaniard confirmed that Portuguese winger Ricardo Quaresma is a doubt for the game as he may not have fully recovered from injury in time. Speaking about the game at hand, Flores said: “We have faced Al Shaab already this season, and yes we beat them, but they played well in the game and were one of the teams that really put us under pressure throughout the game, so I anticipate the same from this match and have planned accordingly.”

On the opposite side, Al Shaab boss Marius Sumudica also highlighted a difficult fixture against Al Ahli but called on his players to go for the win, or a draw at the very least. “Al Ahli is a team worthy of great respect; they have top quality players both from the UAE and abroad, and their coach has tremendous experience of training his team to a high standard,” the Romanian commented at his pre-match press conference. “I have spoken to my players and made it clear to them that they need to demonstrate 100% commitment and fighting spirit in this match,” he said. Sumudica also revealed a source of inspiration for his side, and any underdogs in the League this season; “Everyone still remembers Dibba Al Fujairah’s victory away at Al Ain, and this serves to prove that football can always be a game full of surprises.” Sumudica confirmed that “five or six” Al Shaab players will miss the game due to injuries and suspensions, but he remains hopeful of a positive outcome.