UAE Pro League notebook 28/09/2011

Asamoah Gyan is expected to get his first start for Al Ain in their Etisalat Cup match on Saturday, Inter Milan fans want Al Nasr coach Walter Zenga to return to the Serie A club and Al Ahli's Luis Jimenez is confident he can play for Chile again. Al Ain

Asamoah Gyan is expected to get his first start for Al Ain before he heads back to Ghana to join his national team for their African Cup of Nations qualifier against Sudan on October 8.

The 25-year-old striker, who is on a one-year loan from Sunderland, the English Premier League club, has been training with the probable first XI as the club prepares for the away game with Emirates in the Etisalat Cup on Saturday.

Gyan came on as a second-half substitute in Al Ain's 2-1 home win over Dubai last weekend. The forward is unlikely to need much time to reach full match fitness as he has played three games for Sunderland this season.

Al Nasr

Inter Milan supporters want Walter Zenga, the Al Nasr coach, to return to the San Siro. The former goalkeeper, who played more than 400 games for Inter, was the No 1 choice with fans to lead their team after Gian Piero Gasperini was dismissed as manager just three months into the job.

The media in Italy reported this week that Inter fans, who view Zenga as one of their favourite sons, have launched an online petition in support of the former Italy captain returning, after Claudio Ranieri, the former Chelsea manager, was appointed as the new coach last week.

Zenga starred for Inter between 1982 and 1994, and his name was widely tipped as the favourite to replace Gasperini.

"We understand the fans feelings [regarding Zenga], but Ranieri is a top coach and we fully support him," an Inter spokesman told La Voice D'Italia.

Al Ahli

Luis Jimenez is confident of forcing his way back into the Chile national team after failing to make Claudio Borghi's squad for next month's 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Argentina and Peru.

"This is the coach's decision and I respect that," Jimenez said. "The situation here has been difficult for me because of the weather, so I have not been able to play at my best. But in the coming period, I will give everything I have for Ahli and I am confident I can return to the national team through my performance here."

Al Wasl

Al Wasl are considering putting together a team of lawyers to protect their club and Diego Maradona, the coach, from any defamatory rumours or attacks in the media, both locally and internationally.

According to a club source, Wasl are flirting with the idea as, "some recent attacks on Maradona in the media has started to affect the Argentine legend". The lawyers will work to protect the interests of the club, he added.

* Compiled by Neil Cameron, Ahmed Rizvi and Amith Passela