Sharjah and Shabab Al Ahli players expressed their excitement hours before the Arabian Gulf Super Cup match between Sharjah and Shabab Al Ahli, which will get underway at 8pm on Friday, January 22nd at Al Nasr Club’s Al Maktoum Stadium. The match will be held under the "Our Winter is Super" slogan, which was launched by the UAE Pro League in support of the "World’s Coolest Winter" campaign to promote domestic tourism in the UAE.
Sharjah defender Shaheen Abdulrahman and Shabab Al Ahli midfielder Majed Hassan revealed their desire to win the title in a match they both described as “difficult for both teams”.
UAE national team and Sharjah defender Shaheen Abdulrahman confirmed the growing ambitions of the King's players in the recent years, as they are now fighting to achieve titles and win competitions, stating that the current generation was crowned 2018-19 Arabian Gulf League champions and 2019-20 Arabian Gulf Super Cup champions.
He said, "as a captain, my ambition grew, and I always strive to win titles. Our target in Sharjah this season is to compete and win all titles, and the Arabian Gulf Super Cup is the first title of the season. The team that wishes to remain at the top have to put in effort.”
Regarding his opinion on Shabab Al Ahli’s impressive offensive performance led by league top scorer Brazilian forward Igor Jesus, he said, "we are used to difficult clashes, and our match with Shabab Al Ahli is one of these matches. The fact that it is a final match makes it even more difficult. Both teams will be fully focused, and I think that Shabab Al Ahli have a strong team overall, but we will do our best to emerge winners and win the title.”
Regarding the absence of fans, he said, "the 2019 Arabian Gulf Super Cup match witnessed big fan presence, and we will undoubtedly miss our loyal fans this season. Their presence has always been a source of motivation for us on the pitch, but we will seek to dedicate the first title of the season to them and we are looking forward for the end of the pandemic and the return of Sharjah fans to support the team.”
On the other hand, Shabab Al Ahli midfielder Majed Hassan said that his fellow Shabab Al Ahli players are looking forward to achieving the Arabian Gulf Super Cup title against Sharjah, saying it will be a good start for the team in all competitions.
He stressed that the Sharjah clash will not be easy at all, and that they need to be physically and technically ready to control the match’s proceedings and put in great effort throughout the match. He confirmed that the players and technical staff are able to deal with the match and limit the Sharjah players’ threat, especially Igor Coronado.
In regard to holding the match behind closed doors, Hassan said, “we miss the fans’ presence in such games. We wish the crisis ends, and the fans return to the stands as soon as possible.”
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