ABU DHABI // Al Jazira have been given a boost ahead of their Pro League trip to Sharjah on Friday with Matias Delgado, their Argentine playmaker, being declared fit.
The club tweeted on Sunday that Delgado, who trained with the team last night, had taken a kick on an ankle late in the win against Al Ahli and could require some rest. However, Nick Worth, the club's medical services director, revealed the former Besiktas player, 28, was available for selection.
"Matias actually came off during the Al Ahli game with cramp and while he did get a kick, that was purely coincidental," Worth said.
"The players had two days off after the game and he has come back absolutely fine."
Franky Vercauteren, the head coach, sees Delgado as an integral part of Jazira's attacking play.
Ali Kashief, the Jazira goalkeeper who has been recovering from a cartilage problem in his right knee, has now come through two 90-minute games and is ready to make a first-team comeback. "Ali played his second reserve game, on Sunday, against Al Ahli and his knee has shown no reaction at all to the injury," confirmed Worth.
Meanwhile, Lucas Neill believes the 4-0 win over Ahli sent a message to the rest of the league.
"We made a great start last week. I could even have scored, but got an assist, a clean sheet and a 4-0 win was a super effort," the Australian wrote on his own website.
"Al Ahli were favoured for the title and we have just sent a strong message out to our competitors that we are not letting go of this title easily. Clean sheets to a defender are like goals to a striker and I have had four in a row now. It's a good habit to get into.
"It's a great start, however, it's imperative we continue this form. We can always improve and have the potential to do so. If we keep pushing each other then we will be rewarded."
ncameron@thenational.ae
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Results
Stage 7:
1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29
2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time
3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious
4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45
Results
Stage seven
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 3:20:24
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 5s
General Classification
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 25:38:16
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 22s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 48s
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
