After leading Al Nasr to a 4-0 win over Dibba in the Arabian Gulf League in his first game in charge last week, Dan Petrescu will hope for more of the same when the two teams meet again in the Arabian Gulf Cup.
The Romanian ended Nasr’s run of four successive defeats in the league under former manager Ivan Jovanovic, who was dismissed following the 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Al Wahda last month.
With confidence restored in the Nasr camp, they can turn their attentions to the domestic cup competition, where they have fared much better, and are challenging Group B leaders Al Ahli and Al Shabab for one of the two qualifying places to reach the semi-finals.
See also:
• Al Wasl go top in Arabian Gulf League on Fabio de Lima's strike against Kalba
• Huge wins for Al Ahli and Al Wahda as Ibrahim Diaky scores late winner for Al Ain
Ahli and Shabab are both on 10 points, one more than third-placed Nasr, but the top two have played five matches compared to Nasr’s four. Alternatively a win for Dibba would catapult them into the mix, too, as they currently sit fourth in the group on six points from their four games with two left to play.
Two teams with aspirations of reaching the knockout rounds in Group A are also in action on Thursday.
Al Dhafra are currently second on nine points and are at home to Emirates, where a victory will put them within touching distance of the last four, while Al Jazira, missing several key players on national team duty for the UAE, meet Sharjah.
Jazira manager Henk ten Cate will also be without the services of Moroccan playmaker Mbark Boussoufa for the match at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium that pits fourth against fifth in Group A. Ten Cate said nothing less than a win would suffice against Sharjah if the Abu Dhabi club – the only unbeaten team in both the league and cup this season – hope to reach the semi-finals.
“This game is critical for both teams,” the Dutchman said. “Sharjah will have a full squad at their disposal and they will want to win this game as much as we do, because the outcome of this game will determine whose chances are best to finish in the top two in the group.
“For us, this game has got tougher because the absence of some key players. But we need to deal with the circumstances we are in without finding any excuses. I think we have done pretty well so far in both the league and cup competitions.”
FIXTURES:
Thursday
• Al Nasr v Dibba, 4.45pm • Al Dhafra v Emirates, 4.55pm
• Al Jazira v Sharjah, 7.30pm
Friday
• Al Ahli v Kalba, 4.45pm • Al Wahda v Hatta, 4.50pm
• Al Ain v Baniyas, 7.30pm
Matches on AD Sports and Dubai Sports
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