Dubai: Former Juventus star striker Mirko Vucinic is concentrated on Al Jazira achieving “something big” as the new season in the UAE gets under way early next month.
The new season is all set to kick off with the opening round of matches of the Arabian Gulf Cup on September 2 and 3, while the first round matches of the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) will be held on September 16-18.
The Arabian Super Cup — the traditional season-opener — is scheduled to be held between league champions Al Ahli and President’s Cup winners Al Jazira in Cairo, Egypt, on September 13.
Vucinic, who switched allegiance from Juventus to Al Jazira in July 2014, was one of the three guests at Friday’s finding the fastest and most skillful footballer, sponsored by Adidas.
Laid off for a sustained period of time with injury last season, Vicinic is now prepared to jump into the mix alongside national striker Ali Makhbout as the Pride of Abu Dhabi target silverware this year. “I hope we can do something special this year. We have all worked very hard during pre-season. Last year we won the President’s Cup without me, and now I am back with the team and I hope we can do great things,” Vucinic told Gulf News.
“Al Jazira is a big team as well. I hope to do something for this club, especially now that I am settled in here,” he added.
Major success has routinely evaded Al Jazira and they have won the Arabian Gulf Cup and Arabian Gulf League crown just once each.
“Yes, definitely Al Jazira is a team with huge potential and I am convinced we can be genuine contenders for titles. We can’t just be speaking about these things. We also need to deliver on the pitch that we are capable of winning titles,” the 32-year-old striker related.
“I can’t explain exactly what happens. In my first year [at Al Jazira], we were second in the league. I find it difficult to explain why this happened as we are a good team. However, this year will be different for sure and I can feel it,” he added.
A couple of seasons after his surprising move to Abu Dhabi, some of the top European clubs have still sought to have Vicinic as part of their plans. But the striker from Montenegro is reluctant. “I do have a few queries for me to return to the leagues in Europe,” he said without mentioning club names.
“But I don’t want to go back [to Europe]. My concentration now is on Al Jazira and on what we can achieve here,” he added.
Vucinic, meanwhile, backed the UAE national team to qualify for the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia. The UAE have been grouped along with Asian champions Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Thailand for the final round of qualifiers that get under way on September 1. The UAE, who have played just once in the Fifa World Cup 1990, qualified to the final phase by finishing second to Saudi Arabia from Group A in the second round of competition.
“I watched the UAE team play in their qualifiers at home [in Abu Dhabi], and they have enjoyed some very good results. The UAE have a fantastic striker in Ali [Makhbout] and I hope he can click along with the other players so that the UAE can go to the World Cup in Russia,” Vucinic hoped.
