Sharjah look to bounce back as Al Wahda bid to trim lead with win over Bani Yas

Mohammad Abdullah, Senior Sports Editor

Sharjah will look to bounce back against Al Dhafra in the first match of the Round 15 of the Pro League on Thursday.

In the two other matches of the day, Khorfakkan will take on Al Wasl at Saqr Bin Mohammad Al Qassimi Stadium and Bani Yas will face Al Wahda at Bani Yas stadium in an 8pm kick-off.

Sharjah were beaten 1-0 by a rampant Ittihad Kalba in their last match, which ended their four-game unbeaten streak. Sharjah have seen a great turn around under the new coach Cosmin Olario. He predicted a tough game and stressed on the physical fitness of the players amid a tight schedule.

“It is a crucial stage of the league. Due the tight schedule of matches, we have to be careful of not picking up injuries and keep focus on fitness, which can yield a positive result,” said Olario.

“We are keen to study and follow up all competitors, including their friendly matches, and our role as a technical body is to provide all the information that helps the players to give what is expected of them,” he added.

Sharjah player Khaled Bawazeer vowed to give their best and return with the maximum points against Al Dhafra.

“We are preparing for the match well and looking forward to doing our best to achieve a positive results.

"We are waiting for the continued support of our fans, as their presence gives us the motivation to double the effort to make them happy,” said Bawazeer.

“I always wait for the opportunity to give the extra edge to the team and help them achieve victories. We all work as a group, each of us support the other and is ready to play in any position according to the plan set by the coach,” he added.

Al Dhafra coach Rogerio Micale expects his team emerge winners against Sharjah.

“I aspire to start the second-half of the season on a winning note. The team has completed its preparations for the match with a series of grueling training session during the break, including a friendly match against the Saudi team Al Fayhaal,” said Micale.

“I am delighted that all our players are fit and raring to go. There are no injuries in the squad. In a recent training they showed a great spirit. They are keen to return with three points,” he asserted.

Al Dhafra are at the bottom half of the table and seven places adrift of Sharjah, who are currently sitting at the fourth spot with 26 points form 14 games while Al Dhafra are lying at the 12th, just above the relegation zone in the 14-team league.

“Sharjah are a very strong team with good players and an outstanding coach, who has developed the team's form and performance. But we will focus on our team and its performance rather getting carried away by the opponents,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, Bani Yas coach Daniel Isila said they are wary of Al Wahada and said he expects a very tough match.

"We respect the Al Wahda team a lot and we know that they have very good players, but we have confidence in our team and we know that we will give them a tough time and will create difficulties for them,” said Isila.

Al Wahda are second in the standings with 27 points, six behind Al Ain, who are not in action until Friday. Al Wahda coach Grégory Dufrennes termed the match as a derby clash.

“It is a match that is similar to a derby and is awaited by the fans and players.  It will never be easy, nor will any other match at this stage. 

"We play every four day, which puts a lot of pressure on us, so we will have to prepare and fight to get the desired results, and curtail the lead on Al Ain,” said Gegory.

Commenting on making changes, he said: “Changes are in the plan. Well, I haven't made my decision yet. As for the absentees, besides Lucas, Karbi suffers from some pain and his participation is still uncertain,” he added.