Pitso Mosimane’s Al Wahda searching for first league win in UAE
Former Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane’s side Al Wahda will be aiming to register their first UAE Pro League victory when they face their rivals Al Jazira at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium tonight [6:30pm].
Interestingly, this clash is not only about three points, but also bragging rights as it is the Abu Dhabi derby.Mosimane’s side are coming to this clash without a win in their three consecutive fixtures across all competitions.
Al Wahda lost 1-0 to Raja Casablanca in the Arab Club Championship Cup, followed by a goalless draw with Al Shabab.
Last week in their opening league match, Mosimane’s lads suffered a 2-1 defeat against Al Bataeh at their home ground – Al Nahyan Stadium – thanks to goals from Anatole Bertrand and Alvaro de Oliveira for the visitors.
AL WAHDA ON TARGET
Joao Pedro dos Santos was on target for Al Wahda.And now the Kagiso-born mentor, who joined the Al Wahda this season with a mandate of challenging for the championship which the Abu Dhabi-based outfit last won in 2009/10 season, knows that his side needs to start to collecting points.
Should they fail to start picking up points, the five time PSL title winning coach could find himself under pressure in the Arabic country.In his technical team, the 59-year-old has South Africans – Maahier Davids, Kabelo Rangoaga, Musi Matlaba, Kyle Solomon and Hamad AlyamiA win against former Bafana Bafana midfielder Thulani Serero’s team will not be easy as they come into this clash oozing with confidence after beating Al Nasr 3-1 in their opening league encounter of the season last week.
But in the past two seasons in their league meetings, Al Wahda have managed to dominate in the derby beating Al Jazira four times.And the four-time UAE Pro League champions’ fans will want nothing from Mosimane and his lads but to continue dominating their city rivals.
Story by Tshifhiwa Luvhengo
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