Dubai: Al Shabab want to resurrect their sagging fortunes for the remainder of the season with the boost of a triumph against arch-rivals Al Ahli in Saturday’s Arabian Gulf Cup.
The last meeting between the two neighbours on February 10 resulted with the Red Knights crushing Al Shabab 4-1.
That was just about one of the nails in the coffin as The Hawks have seen their fortunes plummet since the end of November.
Following their goalless away draw to Hatta on November 29, Al Shabab have gone into a tailspin notching up just seven points from a possible 39 points since then. Their lone win has come against struggling Bani Yas, who are currently at the bottom of the 14-team standings.
But their coach Miroslav Djukic is unperturbed. “There’s no doubt that Al Ahli are the favourites for the Cup. But we have not come so far for nothing. This is a rare opportunity of being in a final and we want to give it more than 100 per cent to ensure we win the title that will help us achieve other goals before us,” Djukic told media in the customary pre-match conference on Thursday.
“A lot of things that have happened in the recent past seem to say that we are not the team that we used to be. But you can be sure that we will be competitive against Al Ahli. They are the favourites and the pressure is on them. And even though they are the favourites it doesn’t mean we will not win this game,” the Serbian coach added.
However, hampering his march may be the possible absence of talismanic striker Henrique Luvannor, who got a swollen ankle following a tough tackle from one of his teammates during training on Tuesday. Despite this, the coach remained stoic in his belief.
“I have been with this set of players for the past two months now and I have seen that Al Shabab is a tightly-knit unit. We are one family, both on and off the field. We are about one team and not just about one single player,” Djukic said.
With close to three weeks at the disposal of the teams due to the international break, Al Shabab travelled for a camp to neighbouring Qatar where they played out a goalless draw against Al Gharafa last week. “Our preparations are nearly complete and the players know they need to show that extra hunger if they want to beat a strong team like Al Ahli,” the coach said.
“It is now down to the players. They believe in me and want to win this trophy. A team can’t play in a final every day. This one win can make all the difference to us and we can make a fresh start for the rest of the season,” he added.
