Al Jazira hope to keep good times rolling in League Cup semi-final against Al Dhafra

Capital side in thick of busy schedule while Al Dhafra return to action after two-week hiatus

Al Jazira players celebrate after scoring their third goal against Saudi Arabia's Al Shabab during their Asian Champions League Group A match at King Fahad International Stadium in Riyadh on March 11,Show more

ABU DHABI // Walter Zenga believes his in-form Al Jazira side are in the right frame of mind to carry forward their momentum when they play their second game in four days, with two more coming in the next seven days.

Zenga’s men travel to Abu Dhabi’s Western Region after becoming the first Emirati club to register a win in Saudi Arabia in the Asian Champions League.

Having made it two out of two in the ACL after a 3-2 triumph over Al Rayyan of Qatar and a resounding 3-1 win over the Jeddah powerhouse Al Shabab on Tuesday, they are back in the domestic competition to face Al Dhafra in Saturday night's League Cup semi-final at the Hamdan bin Zayed Stadium.

"We are honoured to play in the semi-final of the League Cup," Zenga said. "We have prepared to play a good game and try to give the club and our fans the experience of playing in a final.

“For us, every game is difficult because every team we play come with the intentions of defeating us because we are the best team at the moment.

“The mentality of our team is getting stronger with every good result. It is not important for us if it is three days, two days or 24 hours before we play our next game.

“Our wish is to play the big games all the time and I feel the players also get motivated to play big games. So it doesn’t matter how long we have to prepare for the next game, but I am sure all the players are ready to play the next game any time.”

Jazira will have 72 hours before their next ACL match, against Esteghlal in Tehran on Tuesday, and Zenga may have to adopt a rotation policy for his players between the two different competitions.

“We can’t play the same team in every game,” he said. “If some players have minor injuries, we may give them a rest as we would prefer to give a player a break for one week instead of aggravating an injury and lose him for over a month.

“For me, all the players in the squad are at the same level and they are all important. If any of them are provided with the opportunity I would expect them to perform.”

Dhafra, who are one of the surprise clubs this season, return to action after a two-week break. Their Emirati coach, Abdullah Misfir, has them in seventh place in the 14-team Arabian Gulf League table, only two points from fifth. They are seeking their first domestic trophy.

Their previous two meetings with Jazira have ended in draws.

“Those results and one team coming fresh for this meeting will not give any team an advantage over the other,” Zenga said. “I prefer to play every three days than have a long break. There is a chance you may lose a game, but that’s a part of the game.”

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