Abu Dhabi: An absorbing Arabian Gulf Cup final is on cards when Al Wahda take on Al Wasl at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium on Thursday. The action starts at 8:30pm.

Al Wahda made it to the summit clash with an 8-5 aggregate win over Dibba, winning the second leg against 10 men 4-3, riding on a hat-trick by their ace striker Sebastian Tagliabue.

The Argentine will be the main threat to Al Wasl, who made it to the finals beating defending champions Shabab Al Ahli Dubai 3-2 in a second-leg thriller last week.

Al Wahda coach Laurentiu Reghecampf said: “We are proud of the players who have reached the final after a year of hard work. We enter the match with a lot of positivity, ambitions and desire. My players have the experience to do the best and have developed a lot. They have worked hard to achieve the goals we set from the beginning of the season to compete for all competitions.”

The coach brushed aside that there was any pressure on the boys entering into the contest but warned them against complacency.

“We do not feel any pressure and playing at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, one of the finest stadiums in the country has boosted our morale. We feel the value and importance of the game, which is a joy to us, but we have to be careful because such opportunities don’t come easy,” said Reghecampf adding that, every player should be looking to make the most and will be trying to make it a memorable occasion.

“Being part of the team should be a factor that enhances the player’s pride and his motivation to wear his team’s logo. I expect the international players to be more ready than the rest of the players.”

Al Wasl coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena speaking about his team’s chances said: “It is an important match between the two teams who deserved to reach the final. Both teams were committed, disciplined and having qualified deserve to win the title. Al Wasl played in three competitions throughout the season and our performance in the first round was very good. In the second half, we played good games and we showed strong performances but that did not transform in results which we will analyse at the end of the season.”

Arruabarrena, however, has some worries in defence going into the final.

“We have important absentees in the defence line,” he said. “But we have a strong attack and so we are confident.”