Crucial clashes on the cards at President’s Cup as Round of 16 gets under way

Al Jazira and Ajman will get the ball rolling as the Round of 16 of the President’s Cup gets under way on Thursday with six teams facing off in three knockout fixtures.

Runners-up Al Jazira will face Ajman in an early match at 5pm local time to kick-start the round of 16. Simultaneously, Al Wasl will face off with Kalba at Zabeel Stadium in Dubai. The defending champions Al Ain will take on Shabab Al Ahli in the late match at 8pm at Rashid Stadium in Dubai.

In the top of the table clash, current Champions Al Ail will look to push their bid for the successive title with victory over Shabab Al Ahli. Shabab Al Ahli are the most successful team in the history of the tournament with 10 titles followed by Sharjah and Al Ain who have lifted 10 and eight titles respectively.

Al Ain coach Vladimirivic said that the result of their match against Shabab Al Ahli in the pro league will have no bearing on the outcome of the President’s Cup clash. Al Ain were defeated by Shabab Al Ahli 2-0 in their league match this week only.

“We know the importance of the match. It will be different from our league meeting. It is a different tournament. We know our mistakes and we are working on correcting them. This tournament demands full focus and discipline. Small mistakes can make big differences,” said the coach.

Al Jazira are coming into the match on the back of two consecutive draws in their Pro League matches. Despite sharing the spoils in their last two matches against Al Nasr and Kalba respectively, Al Jazira are on the top of the table with 114 points.

They will look to bring the momentum into the President’s Cup when they face off against Ajman. Al Jazira coach Cosmin Olariou is confident of taking all three points. He also showed utmost respect for their opponents Ajman’s capabilities.

“We respect Ajman and I know this will be a difficult match but our objective is to win the match. The result of the knock out matches depends on trivial details. So, we need full focus, discipline and fewer mistakes to make the most of our chances from start to the end,” said Olariou.

Al Jazira player Vinicius Mello vowed to deliver their best and also urged his team to play with full focus and determination.

“Our goal is to deliver a strong performance and reach the next round. We know that it needs full focus and commitment throughout the match,” said Mello.

Ajman, who are on the seventh spot with nine points in the Pro League standing, will look to start afresh in the tournament after facing defeat against Sharjah in the last league match. Ajman coach Goran Tufegdzic predicted a tough match against Al Jazira.

“We know how difficult the match will be because of their attacking quality but we believe in our ability. We need to be fully prepared and focused if we have to make it to the next round,” said Tufegdzic.

Ajman player Mohammed Nasser said: “President’s Cup is the most prestigious tournament in the UAE. We know Al Jazira are a strong team but we have faith in ourselves. Our goal is to reach the next round and make fans happy.”

Al Wasl coach Rui Vitoria vowed to give a strong performance against Kalba, promising to play to their strengths.

“This is a very important match for us in a competition that means a lot to us. We know that we are up against a tough opponent but we will approach the game with all our strength as we look to continue our run in the tournament,” said the Al Wasl coach.