Al Jazira manager Marcel Keizer has “mixed feelings” about their Fifa Club World Cup opener against AS Pirae on their home turf at Mohamed bin Zayed stadium on Thursday.
In their first appearance in the tournament in 2017, Jazira reached the last-four stage before going down to the eventual champions Real Madrid 2-1. They finished fourth when they were beaten by Mexican side Pachua 4-1 in the play-off.
Jazira are the first Emirati club to feature in the competition twice as Abu Dhabi hosts the tournament for the fifth time.
“I have mixed feelings [about] this game but [I'm] very happy to be playing in the Club World Cup,” Keizer said at the pre-match conference at Mohamed bin Zayed stadium on Wednesday.
“We are going into a new competition and our plan is to take one game at a time. We have seen a couple of videos of Pirae and know something about them.”
Keizer is facing a selection dilemma with five of his players re-joining the squad on Wednesday following the national team’s World Cup qualifiers against Syria and Iran.
Jazira captain and goalkeeper Ali Kasheif, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri and Ahmed Al Attas were on national team duty for three weeks.
Also returning from injury are Ali Mabkhout, the team’s striker and leading scorer, and midfielder Khalifa Al Hammadi.
“We still have a day to evaluate the players who joined us this morning and decide on the line-up,” Keizer said.
“Those who returned from national duty appeared to be a bit tired, but hopefully they will recover fast. Ali and Khalifa haven’t trained much and we’ll assess them as to how much time they can spend on the pitch.”
The winners of the opening game face Asian Champions League victors Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia. Whoever comes out top in that match will meet English Premier League side Chelsea, the Uefa Champions League winners, in the semi-final on February 9.
In 2017, Jazira overcame Auckland City 1-0 and Urawa Reds 1-0 in their first two games. But Keizer says he is not thinking about how far his side will progress in the competition, only about the first game.
“As I said earlier, we’ll take one game at a time,” the Dutchman said. “Obviously, our objective is to go as far as possible but we need to win the first game to achieve that.”
In 2018, Al Ain progressed to the Club World Cup final after a penalty shoot-out victory over Copa Libertadores winners River Plate. They lost to Real Madrid courtesy of the only goal of the match by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Oceania’s Pirae are making their debut in the Club World Cup and aim to make their mark on the big stage.
“We are delighted to be here and we aren’t here to make [up] the numbers but to make an impact against professional sides,” the Tahitian club’s manager Naea Bennett said.
“We are far away from the elite teams in this competition but we want to make an impact, now that we have got this opportunity. We have watched a few games of Jazira and they are a very professional side. We will do our best.”
Seven clubs are in the competition and, for the first time, there are three Arab teams: Jazira, Hilal and the African champions Al Ahly of Egypt.
Brazilian club Palmeiras and Monterrey of Mexico represent South and North America, respectively, with Chelsea completing the list.
Scoreline
Arsenal 0 Manchester City 3
- Agüero 18'
- Kompany 58'
- Silva 65'
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Name: Kumulus Water
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4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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Ki-Jana Hoever
The only one of this squad to have scored for Liverpool, the versatile Dutchman impressed on his debut at Wolves in January. He can play right-back, centre-back or in midfield.
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Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
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Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
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The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
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The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
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Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
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Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
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Day 3, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Just three balls remained in an exhausting day for Sri Lanka’s bowlers when they were afforded some belated cheer. Nuwan Pradeep, unrewarded in 15 overs to that point, let slip a seemingly innocuous delivery down the legside. Babar Azam feathered it behind, and Niroshan Dickwella dived to make a fine catch.
Stat of the day - 2.56 Shan Masood and Sami Aslam are the 16th opening partnership Pakistan have had in Tests in the past five years. That turnover at the top of the order – a new pair every 2.56 Test matches on average – is by far the fastest rate among the leading Test sides. Masood and Aslam put on 114 in their first alliance in Abu Dhabi.
The verdict Even by the normal standards of Test cricket in the UAE, this has been slow going. Pakistan’s run-rate of 2.38 per over is the lowest they have managed in a Test match in this country. With just 14 wickets having fallen in three days so far, it is difficult to see 26 dropping to bring about a result over the next two.
Company%20profile
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