Pedro: Al Ain FC Proved Themselves Worthy and Reliable to Represent the UAE Football in the AFC Champions League

Press

“We are so pleased to participate in the competitions of the AFC Champions League 2020,” Portuguese Pedro Emmanuel, head coach of Al Ain First Football Team, said in the pre-match press conference dedicated for round 1 match of the Groups Stage of the ACL-2020 against Iran’s Sepahan. The game is scheduled to be held on Tuesday 11th January at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium at 18:50.

He added: “Definitely, Al Ain FC proved themselves worthy and reliable to defend the name of the UAE football sector in the ACL-2020. I believe it is not only the players who have a strong desire to play this prominent competition but also the fans who aspire to see their team perform honorably and with the top quality of performance. We, as head coaches, look forward to participating in such strong competitions, such as ALC 2020, to show our quality performance in one of the top-notch championship in Asia.”

“Tomorrow, we will play against a strong opponent and one of the best Iranian football teams, a team that fights to control the ball and believes in their potentials. However, they are well aware that they will face tough competition and knows what they are meant to do to snatch the three points of the match,” Pedro said.

He stressed that the team would be stronger with the expected support of the Ainawi Nation, as witnessed in the last match against Al Sharjah. “We will achieve our target because we feel comfortable playing at home.”

Commenting on his upcoming match against Iran’s Sepahan, he said: “Our match against Sepahan is completely different from that we played against Uzbek’s Bunyodkor in the playoff stage. We are better than ever, and the players feel more comfortable and enjoy high levels of self-confidence during their past matches. Most importantly, all the players have the potential to be included in tomorrow’s starting-lineup.”

“Based on these facts, I am sure that the team will maintain its positive image when playing against a strong and balanced opponent with and with the ball. We want to control the match with balanced performance. We do know what we are meant to do when we have the ball or when losing it.” Pedro pointed out.

He also emphasized that the team with high levels of focus and the one that could turn all opportunities into goals will win the match, and he hoped it would be the Al Ain team.

As for whether the absence of Yahiya Nader and Mohammed Abdul Rahman will create a pressure on the midfielder Ahmad Barman, he said: “My answer is simple and objective! I showed it to all the players and everybody that I have full confidence in my players regardless of their age, whether they are 18 or 37 years old, because they are simply doing their best on the pitch and play for the interest of the team. More important is that we know what we have to do during the 90 minutes of the match, and the biggest challenge for us is to play with prominent balance and win the match by the end of match whistle.”

Pedro expressed his pleasure to play at home and among the Ainawi fans in reply to a question of whether playing three matches at home will create more pressure on the team. “If there was no pressure, I would not be here with the team. We always focus on winning matches, and I do believe that playing at home will advantage and boosts our chances to achieve our target.”

He signed off by saying that the Ainawi fans trust us, and we are still in the beginning, and for sure, the team will improve further in the upcoming stage.