Baniyas vs. Al Jazira. Pre-match Press Conference

Abu Dhabi: Aug. 30, 2023

The coach of the first team, Frank De Boer, praised the offensive style of their hosts and opponents in the ADIB Cup opener, Baniyas, and insisted that Al Jazira is aiming to go as far as possible in this cup even though the team will keep missing players for the UAE National teams during the season.

Here are the coach’s quotes from the press conference he held yesterday at the club.

Baniyas Strengths

“They have a good team, and we watched the recording of their last two matches in the league, where they scored two goals in their defeat to Al Ain, and 4 goals in their victory against Al Nasr, and these results show clearly how strong they are in attack. We will have to be at our best physical and mental levels when we visit them tomorrow”.

Importance of the Cup Competition

“Every competition is important for us in Al Jazira, and we will do our best to go as far as possible in the ADIB Cup, but now we are thinking only about the first match against Baniyas. Saturday’s match is very important for us because it will help us raise the level of understanding between the players, especially the newcomers. It is always positive to work on understanding and chemistry between players in a competitive environment, and the Cup match will serve as a platform for us”.

Missing players in the Cup Opener

“We are missing a lot of players, like the injured duo Mohamed Al Attas and Karim Rekik, and Rakan, Zayed, Nawaf, Ahmed Mahmoud, and Ahmed Fawzi who recently joined the UAE Olympic national team camp in China. There are a couple of players who are suffering from some fitness issues, and missing all of these players will have a negative impact on us against Baniyas considering that they will face us with a complete squad. We will start the game with our strongest possible 11 and we will go there with confidence that we can return victorious”.