Buoyed by their recent results at home, defending champions Al Nasr have promised to go all out for a win against Dubai rivals Al Shabab in the first leg of the GCC Clubs Championships semi-final.
After a drop in form following their Arabian Gulf Cup triumph in January, Nasr have recovered to post comfortable 3-0 wins (over Emirates and Kalba) in their past two Arabian Gulf League matches and team manager Khalid Obaid is enthusiastic that those results will give the Blues a confidence boost ahead of Tuesday night’s match at home.
“Retaining the Gulf title is one of our top priorities for this season and the players are really focused on achieving those objectives,” Obaid said.
“The win over Kalba has come at the right time and it should also give the team a lift.
“So, with all due respect to our opponents, all the players realise the importance of this game and are looking forward to achieving a positive result. We will fight to reach the final of the GCC championship for the second successive time.”
Nasr and Shabab, the 2011 Gulf champions, have already met three times this year and the scores are level at 1-1, with one match – the AGL match at Nasr’s Maktoum Stadium – being a 1-1 draw.
Shabab won the first duel 2-1 in September, but Nasr avenged that loss in November with a 2-0 win in a cup match.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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