Guadalajara, Esperance aim to end poor campaign on a high

Abu Dhabi - Guadalajara's Jose Cardozo said the team took time to recover from the disappointment of not being able to cross the line against Kashima

African champions Esperance de Tunis and Mexican side CD Guadalajara failed in their Fifa Club World Cup missions and will now play for pride in the fifth place match on Tuesday.
Esperance got blanked 0-3 by host Al Ain, whereas Guadalajara, the CONCACAF Champions League, lost a close match after leading through an early goal over Kashima Antlers.
Head coaches of both the sides expressed similar sentiments ahead of the consolidation fifth place match.
Guadalajara's Jose Cardozo said the team took time to recover from the disappointment of not being able to cross the line against Kashima.
"We are hurt. We didn't come here for this (fifth place match). But this is football. Now we will play for pride. We hope to end with a victory. We will push hard to defend our club's honour," Cardozo said.
The coach said there will be few changes in the Chivas line-up.
"We lost the Kashima match because of lack of concentration. We also lacked proper communication and coordination between players," he added.
Cardozo said to have analysed Esperance's match versus Al Ain.
"We saw the match video. They are strong side. We have to be alert and move the ball a lot," he said and added that the players were keen to exit tournament with a win.
Meanwhile, Esperance coach Moine Chaabani said the players were mentally prepared for the match.
"We lacked the mental strength against Al Ain. The players were down but we had few days break. They are now prepared for the match. The confidence is back in the team. It was hard but their morale is high now," he said.
Chaabani said players want to show their real spirit that helped them win the CAF Champions League.
"The players are absolutely ready," he said.
Esperance take on Guadalajara at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com