It was Chennai's fifth win from nine matches as they moved to third place in the points table with 10 points
cricket9 hours ago
Al Shabab boss Caio Junior expects Friday's visitors to Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium Sharjah (Kick-off: 6pm) are in for a much better season now that they have two attacking players he knows only too well.
The King have bolstered their midfield ranks this summer by signing Renato Caja from Ponte Preta and taking Atletico Mineiro's Maicosuel on a season-long loan deal.
They thus join fellow countrymen Mauricio Ramos and Wanderley Santos in Sharjah's all-Brazilian foreign contingent, although the former qualifies as a Palestinian to comply with Asian Football Confederation (AFC) rules and regulations.
The arrivals of Caja and Maicosuel should significantly boost Paulo Bonamigo this term according to Caio Junior, who expects Sharjah to improve upon their lowly 12th-place finish in the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) in 2014/2015 as a direct result.
They fared considerably better in the Arabian Gulf Cup - where they finished as the runners-up behind eventual champions Al Nasr - yet fell at the first hurdle of the President's Cup, losing out once again to the Blue Wave in extra-time.
"Sharjah are better than they were last season and they can improve in this campaign," Caio Junior said.
"They've brought in two new Brazilian players that I know very well as they were my players in Brazil. Maicosuel was, in fact, my player at two teams - Parana Club and Botafogo. "Renato Caja is a left-footed, technical player who is similar to Carlos Villanueva. His set-pieces are very good and he can decide the outcome of a match with one passage of play.
"Maicosuel is different. He is a left-sided player, who is fast with good dribbling skills. He's always dangerous and Sharjah have two very good players there."
The Hawks will - of course - be fielding a fresh-faced Brazilian of their own this evening, with Jo expected to lead the line with the likes of Henrique Luvannor and Villanueva in support.
"Jo is a very good and experienced striker and I believe he can help us," Caio Junior stated. "He and Edgar Bruno Da Silva are similar players in that they're both tall and good in the penalty box, but Jo has more power and gives us more options."
Elsewhere in the emirate this evening, Al Nasr host Emirates Club (Kick-off: 8:45pm) in a fixture that will see a swift return to Al Maktoum Stadium for former fans' favourite Brett Holman.
alex@khaleejtimes.com
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