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Al Nasr v Dubai Pre-Match Press Conferences

Al Nasr head coach Walter Zenga has identified his team’s need to win against Dubai on Sunday in order to lift their spirits and stop the downward spiral following two League defeats in a row, and a loss away at Iran’s Sepahan in the AFC Champions League on Wednesday. In his pre-match press conference, the Italian manager recognised it will not be an easy task to stop the rot this weekend. “I see the game against Dubai as a very difficult and complex one,” he said. “It will be especially hard considering we did not get adequate time to rest between our Champions League game in Iran and this game on Sunday.” Tiredness levels will be a key factor in the game, particularly considering Al Nasr’s recent trend of struggling and conceding goals in the last ten minutes of games; something Zenga is well aware of. “In the last ten minutes the players have been losing focus and this is the period in which we are conceding goals.”

Zenga is not the only manager in need of a change in fortunes, as Dubai boss Rene Marsiglia has also seen his side slump to two straight defeats in the Etisalat Pro League. Anticipating a tough, exciting and entertaining encounter between two teams on similar runs of form, the Frenchman hopes Dubai will not be the team to allow Al Nasr a return to winning ways. Marsiglia will welcome back key players Magrao and Ismael Ahmed after serving suspensions, giving the squad and performance level a boost, and the coach has asked his players to raise their game and put in maximum effort in order to secure a positive result from the game.