Dube has established himself as one of the most destructive middle-order batters in the IPL, scoring 350 runs at a 170-plus strike rate
cricket9 hours ago
Al Nasr coach Dan Petrescu has given up hope on his ace striker Wanderley being fighting fit for the double header against Hatta but did pray for a miracle.
The Blue Wave meet Hatta twice in the span of seven days in the Arabian Gulf League as well as the semifinals of the President's Cup.
Al Nasr are away to Hatta in the League on Friday evening and then square off again in the President's Cup at the Rashid Stadium next Thursday.
And Petrescu might not be able to call upon the injured Wanderley for both the fixtures. Wanderley suffered a left hamstring injury during the 2-1 League win against Ittihad Kalba at the Al Maktoum Stadium last week.
Although he was back in training, Petrescu was unsure when Wanderley would be able to take the field.
"He returned for the first time from injury and he was in a good mood. But we have to see," Petrescu said at the Al Maktoum Stadium on Wednesday evening.
"I cannot tell as I'm no doctor. Even the doctor, they cannot say 100 percent when (he will be back). At the moment, he is looking good in training. We are not sure if he will be ready for this game or after two or three games. But in football, sometimes miracles do happen. I also had this type of injury. Hopefully, the doctors can do some magic and tell us he can play. But I don't believe there will be a chance for the two games against Hatta," added the Romanian.
The former Chelsea winger was also not too pleased about meeting the same opponents twice in such a short span but said they have to carry on with it.
"We are going to play Hatta twice in seven days. For sure it is not ideal because I don't like to play the same opponents twice in a short time. But that is how it is and we have to play them twice and we will do it," he said.
"The first game is away in Hatta and we are playing against a team who have had a good season, better than they expected. They are already safe from relegation, in my opinion, and they are in the semifinals of the President's Cup. They also have a good coach, good atmosphere, good morale and nothing to lose. For sure, the pressure is on us in both the games. We are coming after a good result but at the same time, we know that the victory was not very sweet for us (because of Wanderley's injury). And it will be a tough starting with the first game on Friday," added Petrescu.
james@khaleejtimes.com
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