With seven teams all vying for the right to be called club world champions, competition should be fierce. Al Wahda will therefore need all the help their home support can give them when they get their campaign underway against their fellow tournament debutants from Oceania.
Hekari have wasted no time in making their mark on world football. Just seven years after their formation, they find themselves competing on a global stage courtesy of a 4-2 aggregate win over New Zealand’s Waitakere United in the final of the 2010 O-League.
Coach Tommy Mana will be looking to striker Kema Jack to continue the form he showed in that competition, when he found the net on seven occasions to finish as the tournament’s top scorer. Captain David Muta is also expected to play a pivotal role as he leads his side on a quest to emulate the success achieved by Auckland City last year.
City beat hosts Al Ahli in the opening match before going on to post a ground-breaking fifth-place finish.
With the entire country behind them, Al Wahda are aiming to do considerably better than their UAE counterparts managed last time.
To achieve this, Al Wahda will be relying heavily on their experienced Austrian coach Josef Hickersberger and a formidable line-up that includes captain Haidar Alo Ali and Hamdan Al Kamali in defence, and Brazilian duo Marcio Magrao and Hugo in midfield.
They do not lack punch up front, where, in local hero Ismail Matar, Brazilian Fernando Baiano, and Modibo Diarra from Mali, they have three genuine danger-men. Having netted 42 times en route to this season’s UAE league title, the home side will not be short of confidence in front of goal.
Hekari coach Tommy Mana admits he knows little about the opposition but is confident his players will do themselves justice.
“It’s been very difficult for us to study Al Wahda’s style of play or to obtain much information about them,” he says. “But we’ve carried out our preparations in Qatar and are currently in good shape. We’ve no major injury worries so we’re ready to win.”
His opposite number Hickersberger appears to be in a more wary frame of mind.
“In our recent domestic league games, it’s been difficult to assess the state of the team,” he says. “Some of the players weren’t at their best and others were carrying injuries. I just hope everything will be okay.”
The match kicks off at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium on Wednesday at 8pm local time.
For more on the world game go to www.fifa.com