Abu Dhabi Derby in Dubai

Dubai and the Zabeel Stadium will be the backdrop when Abu Dhabi heavyweights Al Jazira and Al Wahda cross swords in the quarterfinal of the prestigious President's Cup.

KICK-OFF:
Al Wahda vs Al Jazira, Zabeel Stadium, 6.25 p.m
 
It is all coming thick and fast. After two 'El Clasicos' between Al Ain and Al Ahli across two competitions, on Boxing Day and New Year's Eve, it is time to suit up for another blockbuster fixture.
Dubai and the Zabeel Stadium will be the backdrop when Abu Dhabi heavyweights Al Jazira and Al Wahda cross swords in the quarterfinal of the prestigious President's Cup. And while both will be on the same highway to the UAE Capital after the game, it depends who makes that road trip in the dark of Wednesday night, with smiles on their faces.
Al Jazira have a lot more than a semifinal spot at stake as the Pride of Abu Dhabi are the defending champions of the competition. And the importance of it was not lost on coach Henk ten Cate.
"Our games against Al Wahda have always been thrilling and I'm sure it will be another exciting fixture. We are well aware that it will be a difficult game and we cannot afford to relax as it is a knockout," said Henk ten Cate.
"We are the defending champions and we want to keep on going till the end. The team has a good experience of dealing with such situations and we know that a win against Al Wahda will put us just one game away from reaching the final for a second successive season," added the Dutchman.
And Henk ten Cate admitted that it won't by any means be easy against a team like Al Wahda.
"Al Wahda are a good and strong team and to play against them is always difficult. We will have to give it our absolute best and qualify at their expense," said the former FC Barcelona and Chelsea assistant coach.
The Dutchman won't be able to call upon midfielders Khalfan Mubarak and Moroccan international Mbark Boussoufa. Emirati Mubarak is out injured while Boussoufa, formerly with Russian clubs Anzhi Makhachkala and Lokomotiv Moscow, has been called up to the Moroccan squad for the African Cup of Nations.
And Henk ten Cate said that he had a good bench strength to compensate for the absences.
"The line-up that we have is capable of dealing with these absences and I have absolute confidence in the ability of the bench to compensate for the absence Khalfan and Boussoufa," he said.
Meanwhile, Henk ten Cate's opposite number Javier Aguirre said that the game presents a good opportunity to prove themselves.
"Al Jazira are the defending champions and are a dangerous team. It will be a strong game against them but the chances to win are equal," said Aguirre.
The Mexican also said that they will take a call on Jorge Valdivia's participation after final training. The Chilean was injured but is said to be in a better condition now and took part in training over the past couple of days. Meanwhile, defender Salim Sultan, who is recovering from an ankle injury, has been ruled out.
Meanwhile, midfielder and Hungarian captain Balazs Dzsudzsak believed that the team can get the job done against Al Jazira.
"I'm not worried and as long as we are able to create opportunities to score goals, the results will be good," said Dzsudzsak.
"Al Jazira are a strong team and have good players, both local and foreign but we are strong as well," added the 30-year-old.
james@khaleejtimes.com