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Etisalat Cup Final: Ajman Pre-Match Press Conference

Abdulwahab Abdulkader cited reaching the final of the Etisalat Cup Final as their goal for the season, and stated that it is thanks to the efforts of his players and the support of the Board and Club management that Ajman find themselves in this position. Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Tuesday’s Final, which kicks off at 7:40pm at Al Wasl’s Zabeel Stadium in Dubai, the Iraqi coach said: “We really hope that this final will be a good spectacle for both teams and both sets of fans. The players have received a great deal of support from the Board and Management of the Club, and were pleasantly surprised by a visit to the training ground this week by two former Chairmen of the Club, who gave a motivational speech to boost the spirits of the squad.” In what is a repeat of the 2009-2010 season’s Etisalat Cup Final, Abdulkader is not out for revenge against Al Jazira, but says the two squads are in very different shapes than they were three years ago. “Many things have changed since our Etisalat Cup Final against Al Jazira in 2010, and I feel we have a better chance of succeeding this time around, as we are must stronger. Al Jazira have many impressive national team players, but we hope to do our best against them. I have prepared my players for the match in my role as coach, and now it is their turn to give their best performance on the pitch,” Abdulkader said.

Abdulkader’s squad will be without Ali Khamis and Shehab Ahmed due to injury, with Omani player Fawzi Bashir a slight doubt having picked up a knock, although he trained yesterday and is hopeful of being fit for the Final. Saleh Basheer will also miss out due to being on loan from Al Jazira, and thus he is ineligible to play against his parent club. Attending the press conference on behalf of his teammates, Ajman player Ismail Al Jasmi expressed his delight at reaching the final and stated his desire to complete the game within the period of normal time, without having to go through the added stress and sudden-death nature of penalties. “The coach has prepared us fully for this game and supported us in dealing with the pressure ahead of such a big game,” the Emirati midfielder said. His coach Abdulkader continued: “We really deserve to be in this Final and we will do our very best to win the match.”