Walter Zenga is unconcerned by the long list of absentees from his Al Jazira side ahead of Friday’s ‘Clasico’ against Al Ain, saying the squad has enough depth to counter the reigning champions at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium.
Recent tests have revealed midfielder Khamis Esmail and prolific striker Ali Mabkhout are still not match fit and a late decision will be made on whether the duo can be a last-minute addition to the Jazira bench this weekend, while defenders Musallem Alhamdani and Abdulla Mousa are suspended after collecting their third yellow cards against Bani Yas last week.
But Zenga, who was in a buoyant mood on Wednesday where he offered assembled media traditional Italian pastries to celebrate Christmas, says he has a few problems to solve before settling on the right formation for the derby.
“We are missing a few key players but we have a big squad that has lots of strength and talent and they are all capable of compensating for any absences in any circumstances,” said the Italian.
“I have complete faith in all my players and I always keep them physically and mentally ready to step up when they are needed.
“I’m very pleased with the work we’ve done to prepare for this match and I wish we could play a big match like this every week because these kind of matches are a huge incentive for the players to give their best during training to secure a spot in the starting line-up.”
Striker Ricardo Oliveira has missed several training sessions this week with a heavy cold but is still expected to take part.
Jazira are coming off a valuable 2-1 victory over Bani Yas last week that sent them fourth in the table, while Al Ain were frustrated by Sharjah, 1-1 at home, and lie in sixth.
Meanwhile, Al Shaab’s new coach Zeljko Petrovic, a member of Yugoslavia’s 1998 World Cup side, will not be in the dugout for his side’s derby clash with Sharjah as he will assume his duties in the second half of the season.
Petrovic will be in the stands though as the two Sharjah clubs clash in the top division for the first time in more than four years. They are on opposite sides of the league table with Sharjah impressing lately to hold on to fifth, tied on points with Al Shabab and Jazira, while Shaab have only seven points from 11 matches so far.
Elsewhere, leaders Al Ahli travel to Ajman on Thursday while Shabab host Emirates on Friday, without suspended Edgar Bruno, who has scored 10 goals this season.
FIXTURES
Thursday
16:50 Ajman v Al Ahli
20:00 Dubai v Al Wahda
20:00 Sharjah v Al Shaab
Friday
16:50 Al Wasl v Bani Yas
17:00 Al Dhafra v Al Nasr
20:00 Al Shabab v Emirates
20:00 Al Jazira v Al Ain
