All Set to Win Bunyodkor Pedro: Al Ain Squad is Always Stronger by Fans’ Support
“We are experiencing critical moments this season. We have prepared ourselves in the right manner for our clash match against Uzbek Bunyodkor tomorrow evening,” Pedro Emanuel opened the pre-match press conference held at Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium today 27th January 2020.
“We are well aware that the opponent is excellent in controlling the ball and is fast and aggressive in launching their attacks. However, we will domain the match by imposing the strong squad character. It is important to have in mind that when we attack, we would have only one target, i.e., to score goals,” Pedro added.
He stressed that it is essential that the team should be balanced and be organized with and without the ball. “Indeed, this is the secret for qualifying to the groups stage of the AFC Champions League 2020.”
Pedro emphasized that tomorrow’s match would have only one winner and that the two teams have one goal, i.e., to win the game and qualify for the next stage. He assured that he prepared his squad to achieve this target with all due respect to the aspirations of the opponent team.
As for Brazil’s Caio Canedo status and whether he is ready to play tomorrow’s match, he said: “Caio is an important player in the lineup of the team, and he will start his recovery today. But I assure you that Al Ain is a strong team and strives to consolidate the concept of the organized style of playing and not relying on a specific player.”
The Portuguese head coach again stressed that tomorrow’s match is so important. He also stated that he, along with the team’s players, is expecting to see the fans behind the team who is experiencing critical moments in this season. He said: “With our supporters, we are stronger, and tomorrow’s match will be a milestone in our journey in the AFC Champions League 2020.
Responding to a question on what he learned from his countryman Mourinho in such continental challenges, he said: “I do believe that I learned one important thing, that is big challenges make big teams, and we are a big team and highly aspire to show our strong personality on the pitch. Tomorrow, we have a big challenge, and this is what I learned from Mourinho and will instill it in my players.”
On the tactics side, he commented on a question on whether his plan is set to have one striker, Togo’s Laba Kodjo, he said: “We have two strikers, Laba and Jamal Marouf. Also, we always have plan A and plan B before each match.”
