I hope the United Arab Emirates national football team to claim the title of Arabian Gulf Cup 26
Leonardo Jardim: We are ready to take on our upcoming match vs Al Jazira in the first leg match of the quarter finals round of competitions of Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup
Awadallah and Abbas are keeping up with their rehabilitation programs and their return to the group training sessions will be at the onset of the new year
Leonardo Jardim, the Portuguese manager of Al Ain, said that the matches which take place between Al Ain and Al Jazira are always characterized by the spirit of competition, challenge, and rivalry, since they are considered “derby” matches, emphasizing that: “Our preparations to take on our upcoming match vs Al Jazira in the first leg match of the quarter finals round of competitions of Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup are going on very well, where we have had sufficient time to prepare ourselves, despite the absence of the international players due to their engagement with their national football team, which is competing to claim the title of the Arabian Gulf Cup 26, which definitely requires us to work with a doubled effort.”
Over the impact of the absence of the international players on the performance of the team, Jardim explained: “As always, my message to the players is that the team’s lineup consists of 23 players, while everyone are working hard to be on the team’s starting lineup. So, this is a perfect opportunity for those players who did not have the opportunity to join the team’s ranks as starting players in the previous matches, so they can show up their true capabilities. As for our goal, it does not change at all, which is to claim victory and to compete to claim the title of all competitions.”
Concerning the state of readiness of the players Mohammed Abbas and Mohammed Awadallah, Jardim pointed out that: “The two players are jeeping up with their rehabilitation programs very well. And they will not be joining the team in the upcoming match vs Al Jazira on the day after tomorrow. In my opinion I think that their return to the team’s group training sessions will be at the onset of the new year.”
Leonardo Jardim concluded his speech during the introductory press conference by expressing his support to our national football team, saying: “”I hope the United Arab Emirates national football team to claim the title of Arabian Gulf Cup 26. I love this country in which I currently live, I also have some very special memories with several players who trained under my leadership, whether at Al Ain or with Shabab Al Ahli. I also wish good luck for the Portuguese manager Paulo Pento to claim positive results with the national football team.”
