ABU DHABI // The calendar for this season's Etisalat Cup has been long and interspersed with the other competitions, but with a trophy now in sight, Al Ain and Al Shabab are singularly focused and amply excited for tonight's final at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium.
The trophy was within arm's reach of the two Brazilian coaches at a press conference at the stadium yesterday.
Opponents during their playing days in Brazil and informal tennis foes today, Al Ain's Alexandre Gallo and Shabab's Paul Bonamigo will go head to head again, with the winner capturing a first title with his UAE club.
Gallo played for a variety of sides in Brazil and Portugal - including Santos in his homeland, where he squared off against Bonamigo's Gremio and Internacional teams in the early 1990s. He took over at Al Ain in December and has helped them improve after a mostly lacklustre season.
Bonamigo has managed Shabab since 2009, and they finished runners-up for the 2010 President's Cup but have yet to win a trophy during his tenure.
Gallo said he will pick his best line-up tonight, even if it means sending a lesser side to Seoul for an Asian Champions League match on Wednesday.
"It's most important that the team and the players concentrate on the Etisalat Cup," he said. "To win it is very important for us."
For Al Ain, a trophy could go a long way towards redeeming a disappointing season, which sees the team sitting in 10th place in the Pro League, one point above the relegation zone. Past successes include nine league titles and the 2003 Asian Champions League crown, but they have just three wins, six draws and seven losses in the standings, and a 12-match streak without a win sullied the middle of their campaign.
Winning the cup would provide a lift for Al Ain, who may be without their starting defender Fawzi Fayez and midfielder Haddaf Abdullah due to injury.
"This is a special game," Gallo said. "We need to get more confidence. I speak every day about this. We need to work so hard to win this game."
Shabab have been more productive; they are third in the Pro League with 28 points, three behind Baniyas and one ahead of Al Wasl.
"The team has had very good development over the last six months. It is time for us to go forward," Bonamigo said. "We are hunting for the title."
One potential obstacle for Shabab - who have seven wins and three draws in 12 domestic matches this year - is what is likely to be a pro-Al Ain crowd.
Bonamigo expects his Dubai-based club's backers to be in the minority.
"We know we're going to face a lot of supporters of Al Ain. This is just one factor in the game - playing in Abu Dhabi. It isn't the only one," Bonamigo said.
"No doubt we would like to play in Dubai. We have to overcome any situation that comes in front of us if we would want to be champion."
