Thriller in store as Wahda, Wasl clash in semifinals

Abu Dhabi - A trophy will mean an unprecedented treble for the Abu Dhabi Club after the success in Arabian Gulf Super Cup and Arabian Gulf Cup

They came close to clinching the Arabian Gulf League title but ended up being second-best to the 'Boss' from Al Ain. Come Wednesday, Al Wahda will put the painful memories of the past week behind and look to beat Al Wasl in the semis of the UAE President's Cup.
The 'Clarets' are the defending champion and will look to enter the President's Cup final. A trophy will mean an unprecedented treble for the Abu Dhabi Club after the success in Arabian Gulf Super Cup and Arabian Gulf Cup.
"The team and players were disappointed after the result against Ajman," Al Wahda coach Lauren?iu Reghecampf said during the post-match press conference referring to the 2-3 defeat at the hands of Ajman whereas Al Ain romped home 4-0 against Al Nasr to secure the League title.
"We take collective responsibility for the loss. I urge everyone to stand by the team. We had a tremendous season and now fighting for the third title," Reghecampf said.
"The President's Cup is special and we aspire to qualify to the finals," he said while promising that Al Wahda will go all out against Al Wasl.
Leading the efforts will be Al Wahda's goal-scoring machine Sebastian Tagliabue.
And the Argentinian is confident that defending champions can beat Al Wasl. "We have a big chance to play another final inside a year. We are ready for that," Tagliabue said.
"We have to come back from the loss to Ajman and play as we used to do before," he said adding that Al Wahda players will raise the level to tame the strong Al Wasl squad.
Meanwhile, Al Wasl coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena said it was a difficult season for the 'Cheetahs' but the players are well-prepared to prove their mettle. He said the players were pumped up to make amends for the loss in the final of the Arabian Gulf Cup.
"It will be very important and decisive match. We have gone through a difficult phase but we were able to overcome it. Now all players are prepared to give a strong performance and qualify to the final."
The coach said all the players except defender Hazza Salem were fit to take field.
Arruabarrena noted that both teams are equally matched and a single mistake will turn costly.
"Both teams have strong attack. The team which will focus more on the game and commit fewer mistakes will win," the Al Wasl coach added. There will be no dearth of fireworks as League's No. 2 Al Wahda and No. 3 Al Wasl clash at Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium in Al Ain.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com