Al Jazira coach says a Derby is always special, anytime

The Spiders host their city rivals from down the road, Al Wahda, in what should be a blockbuster Friday night in the Capital.

 Abel Braga knows a thing or two about what it is like to be part of a Derby. And as he braces up for an umpteenth one and the second on his return, the Al Jazira coach said that it still carries an aura and sense of occasion, no matter how many times one has been part of it.
The Spiders host their city rivals from down the road, Al Wahda, in what should be a blockbuster Friday night in the Capital.
An entertaining fixture lies in prospect at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium as Al Jazira and Al Wahda make their push to provide early markers in the Arabian Gulf League.
"All the matches are important for Al Jazira, but the Derby is different and special," Braga said ahead of the game. Braga has already been witness to a Derby this season when they hosted Al Ain in the Arabian Gulf Cup.
"I have good idea, of course, about the nature of Al Jazira vs. Al Wahda derbies and it is always difficult and complicated for both sides. It is always popular between the fans and I wish that our Stadium will be full on Friday night. Winning the derby gives you extra motivation to keep collecting points and help you to prepare for the next match with a good mentality. But, at the same time, the defeat will not be the end of the road and you will have to recover quickly and restore your faith and concentration," added the 63-year-old.
Fans on either side were expecting Jorge Valdivia to feature in the Derby but the Chilean playmaker will be absent following a two-game ban for a 'finger' gesture.
Braga, though, said that Al Wahda will be strong even without Valdivia and taking them lightly would be a travesty.
"Valdivia is great player and I watched him a lot while we were both in Brazil. He is talented and offers a lot of solutions to his team while he is on the pitch. But I don't think Al Wahda will miss him badly against us. They have good squad and good players like (Sebastian) Tagliabue, (Mohammed) Al Shehhi and Amer (Omar) and experienced players like (Hamdan) Al Kamali, and of course the star of their team and the player I like and respect a lot, Ismail Matar. I also think they can use the absence of Valdivia as an advantage for them, because they can motivate the other players to fight and give their best to prove that Al Wahda are not relying solely on Valdivia," he said.
Make no mistake, this will also be about pride and bragging rights and the pressure, the players will be under, will be extreme. And the Brazilian, who piloted the Pride of Abu Dhabi to their only League title, felt there can be no better motivation for the players than a Derby.
"Self-motivation always plays a big role in deciding such games. Both teams will play only to win even if their circumstances are different now. Al Wahda need the three points to recover from the last defeat in their home match against Al Shabab, while we will try to win a second consecutive game to stay on the winning track. We need to fight for every ball and do our best to deny them from getting away with any point," said Braga.
james@khaleejtimes.com