Abderrazak Hamdallah, the prolific El Jaish striker, is set to miss two months of competitive action through injury — a scenario that could inadvertently hand Al Nasr a major advantage in their Asian Champions League quest.
The Dubai club face El Jaish in the upcoming two-legged quarter-final tie, with the initial encounter in Doha on August 24. The return match takes place at Al Maktoum Stadium on September 14.
Hamdullah is integral to El Jaish’s chances of progressing to the semi-finals, but he has suffered a hairline fracture to his knee and is now expected to miss both fixtures against Nasr and the beginning of the Qatar Stars League, scheduled for mid-September.
Hamdullah, formerly of China’s Guangzhou R&F, enjoyed a fine debut campaign at El Jaish last season, scoring 21 goals in 23 league matches to finish joint top goalscorer. He also notched the winner in the Qatar Cup final against Lekhwiya.
Nasr, meanwhile, are contesting the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Asian’s premier club competition, for the first time.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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T20 World Cup Qualifier
October 18 – November 2
Opening fixtures
Friday, October 18
ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya
Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan
Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed
Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
