KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
Al Ain and Al Wahda will renew one of UAE football's most enduring rivalries when they meet in the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup final on Friday night, with both sides framing the showdown as a finely balanced contest likely to be decided by the "smaller details", as one of the team captains put it.
The match at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, kicking off at 8.45pm, brings together two teams with a long-shared history in the competition and in domestic football, adding further intrigue to what is often described as a "UAE Clasico".
Al Ain captain Kodjo Laba set the tone for his side's approach, insisting the occasion demands maximum intensity. "We treat every game as a final and this final is then like a war, if I may say that, so we take this and our opponents very seriously," he said.
"We deserve a trophy this season based on how we have been playing. We know that a final is not always won by a team playing better. We will do whatever it takes to take the trophy to Al Ain to our fans."
Head coach Vladimir Ivic highlighted the familiarity between the teams as both a challenge and an opportunity. "Both teams know each other well but we both will try to find some margins by fielding a player or two, but mostly because we are familiar with each other, we will have to put our best out there," he said. "The past is history. We don't look at the last match also because what is done is done. We only focus on the game tomorrow."
Across the divide, Al Wahda captain Dusan Tadic echoed the expectation of a tight contest shaped by fine details. "I think always game against Al Ain is special," he said. "We always have had interesting games, with a lot of emotions and good moments. This will be very interesting, too, and the details of this game will decide our fate."
Friday's match will be their third meeting in a final. Al Ain claimed the inaugural 2008-09 title, while Al Wahda struck back in last season's final, leaving the head-to-head in finals evenly poised. Both clubs are appearing in their sixth final, though Al Wahda have a marginal advantage in silverware with three titles compared to Al Ain's two.
Scoring records are similarly tight, with Al Ain netting 15 goals to Al Wahda's 13 in cup meetings, while remarkably both teams have scored 210 goals each in the competition overall.
"The history is there, some results have happened, and we are aware of that," Tadic said. "But of course, we are not bothering so much about that. It will not give us extra pressure.
"I think every final is 50-50, especially when it's a derby match. We need to show great team spirit, to be brave, to show quality and to show the winning mentality. If we want to win the trophy, I hope we can do that and I'm sure we're going to do our best."
Al Wahda manager Hassan Al Abdooli, speaking through a translator, underlined the growing stature of the competition, which used to be played during breaks in the season in the past. "It's a competition now that everyone dreams to win," he said. "As for the match tomorrow, of course, a game against Al Ain, a 'clasico', it will not be easy. Regardless of both teams' positions and performances throughout the season, it brings excitement."
This will be only Al Abdooli's second game in charge, after replacing the sacked Darko Milinic two weeks ago. "We understand we had many ups and downs, but tomorrow we need to put in our full effort and think about the game for 90 minutes, maybe more than 100 minutes. It will not be an easy game."
The tactician credited his captain Tadic, with bringing him up to speed in his new post. The numbers underline just how closely matched the two sides have been in this competition. They have met 14 times in the cup, with five wins each and four draws. In the professional era overall, Al Ain hold a slight edge with 23 victories to Al Wahda's 15 from 50 encounters, and 12 draws.