Al Wasl are aware of the danger posed by wounded heavyweights Al Ahly when the sides meet on Thursday for a spot in the Zayed Champions Cup’s quarter-finals, according to caretaker boss Hassan Al Abdouli.
Much has happened since the Cheetahs escaped from Cairo with a creditable 2-2 second-round draw on October 28. Their lauded Egyptian opponents suffered bitter disappointment when a 3-1 first-leg lead in the CAF Champions League final disintegrated into a 4-3 aggregate loss to Tunisia’s unfancied Esperance de Tunis.
Speaking at Zabeel Stadium, Al Abdouli – who has won three, lost two and drawn one since temporarily succeeding Gustavo Qunteros – was wary of a backlash.
“The participation in the Arab Championship is one of the first times we participate in a foreign tournament, unlike Al Ahly,” the 44-year-old said.
“They are a club with great experience in these tournaments, as they are one of the biggest teams in Africa. Their experience in the CAF final is not easy and always in the final there is a winner.
“I think that Al Ahly is able to get out of this bad period, especially since they have gone through worse conditions in the past and succeeded in overcoming them.”
The pressure will be on opponents Ahly, who should boast a boisterous support in Dubai. “The next period needs a lot of concentration from our side and I’m sure that our fans will continue to support us to win more championships,” said French boss Patrice Carteron.
Ahly are the reigning Egyptian Premier League champions – a competition they’ve won 40 times – and provided a quartet of players for this month’s Egypt squad.
In contrast, Wasl currently sit 10th in the Arabian Gulf League. No UAE side has won the Zayed Champions Cup, in any of its guises.
