Al Ain and Al Bataeh kick off ADIB Cup campaign

Mohammad Abdullah, Senior Sports Reporter

Twelve teams will battle it out for a place in the quarter-finals as the first round of the ADIB Cup gets under way on Wednesday.

It is one of the toughest competitions in the country as the margin of error is very slim. A missed penalty, a brilliant save or just a through ball can make or break the fortunes of participating teams as the tournament is played in the knock-out format, with the winner taking it all.

All the rounds are played in home and away format except the final, which is held at a neutral venue. On the completion of the first round, six teams will advance to the quarter-finals and join Sharjah – defending ADIB champions -- and Shabab Al Ahli – Pro League champions -- to complete the quarter-finals line-up.

The winner of the Pro League and defending champions of the ADIB Cup are guaranteed a direct spot in the quarter-finals.

Al Ain and Al Bataeh will get the ball rolling in the first match of the day at the Khalid Bin Mohammed Stadium while Emirates will face Al Wahda simultaneously at the Al Nahyan Stadium.

Fresh from their victories in the first two matches of the league, Al Ain will look forward to take their winning momentum into the ADIB Cup.

They are on the second spot in the league with six points from two matches. Al Ain are one of the nine clubs who changed their manager.

Apart from naming a new coach, Al Ain also made sweeping changes to their squad as they signed three overseas players. Kaku of Argentina is the most high profile signing of Al Ain this year for a reported fee of five million dollars.

Under the new manager Alfred Schreuder of the Netherlands, a new-look Al Ain have launched their title charge with full throttle.

They will bank on the prowess of the battery of the overseas trio to provide them the early impetus in the ADIB Cup to book a berth in the next round.

Bataeh, who have been promoted this year, are also brimming with confidence as they are still unbeaten after two games of the Pro League. They had stunned Al Wahda in the opener before being held by Ittihad Kalba to a goalless draw.

In a mouth-watering clash, Al Wahda will tackle a resilient Emirates, who are one of the two clubs promoted to the top flight.

Emirates look resolute to prove that their promotion was not a fluke and they are not here just for a season. Nor do they want to fight for survival, but thrive among the big boys.

They took the fraternity by surprise when they signed Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta. The Spanish legend seems to have injected a new synergy in the team.

Emirates are yet to open their account, but the impact of Iniesta joining them was evident in their second round match. Riding on the Iniesta wave, Emirates bounced back from the loss and shared spoils with Ajman in a goal glut as the match ended in a 4-4 draw. Emirates rallied from two goals down to restore parity before Barcelona’s former captain Iniesta scored the winning goal via a penalty as he stepped up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.

Iniesta’s arrival injected a new synergy into the team. Emirates surely will emerge as the top title contenders across all the competitions, if the players can rub their shoulders with the Spanish great. Ajman and Al Nasr, who are lying in the south pole of the table, will take on each other. Both the teams have yet to taste success. Ajman have drawn one match while Al Nasr had to face defeat in both the games.

On the second day of the first round, Al Jazira will face a tough challenge from Bani Yas. Both the teams are lying in the middle of the table with three points each after a win and a draw each.

Al Jazira roped in new coach Frank de Boer of the Netherlands, along with Brazilian midfielder Fernando Lucas Martin and Dutch midfielder Karim Rakik to boost their defence while they also added teeth to their attack by signing Spanish forward Alejandro Pozuelo.

Pozuelo with playmaker Ali Mabkhout, who won the Golden Ball Award for his exploits with the club for the third consecutive year, makes a lethal combination in attack. While Lucas Martin and Rakik give more options to the coach in the midfield.