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Dubai v Al Wahda Pre-Match Press Conferences

Dubai’s French coach Rene Marsiglia has demanded that his players get their heavy defeat at the hands of Bani Yas in the last round of the Etisalat Pro League out of their systems, and focus on the games ahead. “The players must forget that harsh defeat; we will take the lessons we have learned from that game and ensure that we are more focused and disciplined throughout the 90 minutes of the next game in Round 17,” he said at a pre-match press conference. Marsiglia confirmed Dubai will continue to be without Ali Hassan due to injury, as well as the Brazilian Magrao and Ismaeil Ahmed. 

 

Dubai host Al Wahda on Friday evening, and Al Wahda’s coach Branko Ivankovic will not be fooled by the outcome of his opponents’ last match, which they lost 5-0. Whilst he has called on his players to enjoy the game and win against Dubai, he has also warned that it will not be easy and expects to face far more resistance from the home side than they offered against Bani Yas. 

 

Ivankovic expressed his delight that captain Ismaeil Matar has been back in regular training since the last round, although Al Wahda will be missing some players for the match as Hamdan Al Kamali serves a one-game suspension, Mohamed Al Shehhi has an infection, and Mahmoud Khamis and Mubarak Al Mansouri are not yet ready in terms of fitness. However, Ivankovic was keen to point out that the absences won’t prevent his squad from performing to the level required in order to secure victory.