Al Ain confident of successfully defending President's Cup title

Dubai: Champions Al Ain are preparing to take on the might of any club in the UAE as they get ready to defend their title at the 2009-2010 President's Cup that gets under way on November 23-24.

"Bring them on. This is Al Ain," team manager Majid Al Owais told Gulf News after the draw for the event was held on Wednesday.

"I think it is better for us to play Al Ain than one of the smaller teams. We have a team that is capable of performing at the highest level with a lot of consistency, so we would want the competition to be tough as we eye bigger goals this season," Al Owais stated.

Al Ain won the President's Cup against nine-man Al Shabab last year after Brazilian Andre Diaz scored from the spot in the 65th minute. They are third best in the list of winners having taken the Cup five times. "We know Ajman and the way they play, so we are sort of prepared to take them on," Al Owais insisted.

Fixtures: (November 23) Al Ahli vs Sharjah; Al Khaleej vs Al Shabab; Al Dhafrah vs Al Orooba; Al Shaab vs Al Jazira. (November 24) Al Wahda vs Baniyas; Ittihad Kalba vs Al Nasr; Al Wasl vs Emirates Club; Ajman vs Al Ain. December 25-26: Quarterfinals. January 22-23: Semifinals (Zayed Sports City). April 19: Final (Zayed Sports City).