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Al Dhafra v Al Wasl Pre-Match Press Conferences

 

Al Dhafra’s French coach Laurent Banide is keen to turn his side’s recent bad form around by securing a positive result as Al Wasl visit the Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan Stadium at 5:45pm on Saturday. Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Banide said his side is determined to get back on track: “The recent run of bad results for Al Dhafra in the Etisalat Pro League will make us strive even harder to get a win against Al Wasl.”

 

Banide refused to single out individual players to blame for the downturn in performances of late, insisting that the issue is a collective fault of the team and does not rest solely on the shoulders of big-name players like Makhete Diop and Amara Diane, and the French manager says the squad has been working hard in training to improve the performance of the team as a group. Doing his homework on opponents Al Wasl, Banide is well aware of the threats they pose despite a tumultuous season. “Things have been complicated at Al Wasl and they have had many changes concerning foreign players at the club and also coaching staff, but they have many talented players, such as Emiliano Alfaro, who always has the ability to make a difference for his team,” he said.

 

Al Wasl’s new coach Eid Baroot hopes his side can build on last week’s win in his debut match in charge as they try to rebuild their form for the remainder of the season, and the Emirati boss highlights the players’ fighting spirit as the key ingredient to success, whether home or away. “The players who give the most to the team and strive to be in the starting line-up will win their places,” Baroot said.

 

Speaking about his team’s opponents, Baroot added: “Al Dhafra are a tough team to play against and we respect them; we know we can expect a difficult match from them.” And in order to get the best from this difficult match, Baroot stressed the importance of togetherness from the Al Wasl camp, calling on support from all parties - players, management and fans – to keep up the momentum following last week’s win over Ajman.