Al Jazira vs. Baniyas Pre-match Press Conference

Abu Dhabi: Sep. 14, 2023

The coach of the first team, Frank De Boer, revealed that two of his center-backs are back to train with the group, and insisted his team is ready to battle Baniyas for a ticket to the quarterfinals of the ADIB Cup when the two teams clash at Mohamed bin Zayed stadium on Friday night.

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

Latest Injuries Update

“There is good news and bad news. The good news is the return of Mohamed Al Attas and Karim Rekik to the training pitch after they recovered from their injuries, its early to decide if they will start against Baniyas or no, but we will keep monitoring their fitness until the last hours before kickoff. On the other side, Khalfan Mubarak picked an injury during training. It doesn’t look bad right now but we will know more about it in the upcoming days”.

Absence of the National Teams Players

“Missing 11 players while preparing for any match has a negative impact of course, especially when most of them are starters in your lineup, but preparations for Baniyas were good and we worked intensively with the available players in Abu Dhabi. I will see the national team players tomorrow and talk to them, and then take decisions about their chances in appearing against Baniyas on Friday”

Reaching the quarterfinals of the Cup

“The second leg of this fixture is going to be harder than the first, and we will not think about any advantages because we scored twice at their stadium. Baniyas showed they are strong at attack, and we will have to do better against them this time, I can assure you that my team is ready to perform better and fight harder to win on Friday and reach the next round of ADIB Cup. I am sure our fans will come in big numbers and help the players by giving them the extra boost to perform and fight”.