Abu Dhabi: A high-octane battle is on the cards when former AFC Champions League winners, the UAE’s Al Ain, and Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia lock horns in the quarter-final first leg of the ACL at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium on Tuesday.
The action starts at 8pm local time.
Al Ain, who won the inaugural tournament in 2003, reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 2006, having topped Group C ahead of Al Ittihad before edging out fellow UAE side Al Jazira in the last 16.
The Arabian Gulf League outfit had two training camps in Europe and have been undergoing rigorous training sessions behind closed doors in the run-up to the match.
They will be pinning their hopes on their star Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan to provide the goods.
Gyan, who recently renewed his contract with Al Ain in a record deal until 2018, scored one of his 10 continental goals against Al Ittihad this season.
He will receive ample support from Frenchman Kembo Ekoko, who has returned to the side after being on loan with the Qatari club Al Jaish.
Other foreign players in Al Ain’s star-studded squad are 24-year-old Slovakian international Miroslav Stoch and Lee Myung-joo from South Korea.
Star midfielder Omar Abdul Rahman will once again be in charge of the axis and he can be lethal in home conditions.
“We all realise the importance of this game and all the players feel the size of responsibility. We have worked to redouble our efforts in order to achieve positive results that will ensure us to cross the quarter-final stage,” said Ekoko, who also praised the training methods of his coach Zlatko Dalic.
“I think the coach has succeeded in finding a method that is appropriate and utilises the full potential of all the players. I’m happy to work under his leadership and it has given me confidence.”
The 2004 and 2005 champions Al Ittihad, on the other hand, have shown tremendous form under former Saudi Arabia U-22 coach Khalid Al Koroni, who replaced Uruguayan Juan Verzeri. The latter was shown the door after just two months following their defeat by Iran’s Tractorsazi Tabriz in the AFC Champions League opener.
Despite the early setback, Al Ittihad earned a place in the last eight for a third time in four years. They also managed to beat Al Ain in the group stages and then went on to seal the fate of fellow Saudi Pro League side Al Shabab with a 4-1 aggregate win in the Round of 16.
Coach Dalic is well aware of Al Ittihad’s striking prowess and stressed he will be trying to shackle the opposition’s key players Fahad Al Muwallad and Mukhtar Fallatah.
“Muwallad and Fallatah are quality players. Al Ittihad are a very young, fast and dangerous team, who enjoy great support from their fans. We have to be very careful in defence and try to impose our style of game,” said the Croatian, who also urged the Al Ain fans to turn out in large numbers to support his team.
“I can assure the fans we have made every possible effort to make sure we get the result that will lead us into the semi-finals of the Champions League. That is my goal and the goal of my team as well. It’s a new challenge for us and I believe my team deserves to be in the semi-finals. But we need strong support from our fans.”
His counterparty Al Koroni was similarly confident of his team doing well in the crunch away contest.
“We have very good and very experienced players in every position in our team, and we know what to expect as Gyan has played two matches against Al Ittihad already in the AFC Champions League this season,” he said.
