Al Wasl forward Caio Canedo is convinced the team’s hunger “to do big things” can take them past their faltering rivals.

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Gabriel Calderon’s men have recovered from a rocky start to 2015-16 to sit fifth in the Arabian Gulf League, with a game in hand.

Their displays stand in contrast to Al Jazira and Al Wahda, whose fluctuating performances mean the race for the Asian qualification spots looks wide open.

“We are so hungry,” said the 25-year-old, ahead of Friday’s trip to relegation-threatened Sharjah. “That is the key word. “We want to do big things this year. We want to take Al Wasl to where they want to be, at the top.

“Of course, we want those teams [Al Wahda and Al Jazira] to lose as we want to go up and get an edge on them. We want to win our games at home and gain respect. If we can also take points on the road, that’s perfect.”

The Cheetahs impressively claimed a 2-1 against Bani Yas last week, a result the Brazilian forward hoped would carry them past second-bottom Sharjah.

He said: “We had a very good game and it was an important game. We still have a game in hand and we beat a very-strong team in Bani Yas. It is important that the team gains confidence and we head into Sharjah looking for the win.”