The Boss looking for a repeat against Saudi’s Al Ahli

Abu Dhabi: ‘The Boss’, having beaten Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli at home by a solitary goal, will be looking for a repeat when they take on the same rival in their return leg of the Asian Champion League group ‘D’ fixture at the King Abdullah Sports Club in Jeddah.

From this group, Qatar’s El Jaish have already booked a place in the next round with nine points having won all their matches. However, along with Al Ain, Uzbekistan’s Nasaf and Al Ahli are all tied on three points each. Al Ain will have to win to consolidate their position for a smooth passage into the next round. Any slip-up here means curtains for coach Zlatko Dalic and his purple brigade.

Dalic and the Al Ain fans will once again be banking on star midfielder Omar Abdul Rahman to deliver the goods. Abdul Rahman has always been a livewire and can up the tempo at will. It was his fine free-kick in the second half that gave Al Ain 1-0 win in the first-leg against Al Ahli.

Seven of Al Ain’s first team players were on UAE national team duty for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers ahead of this match. However, Dalic must have got enough time to work with the rest of the pack as there was a long break of around three weeks in the local league.

That would have definitely given Dalic time to work with his key players - Brazilian Douglas and Colombian Danilo Asprilla, who are starting to make an impact after being brought onboard this January.

Winger Asprilla, after returning from injury, impressed in the win against Al Ahli at home coming in as a substitute and Douglas is also improving on his strike rate. The latter now has 10 goals against his name from the 11 matches he has figured in for the club. The duo will have to come good for Al Ain to fancy their chances.

“We are looking forward to returning to the UAE with a strong result. Our task will not be easy and there will be pressure on my players at the beginning of the game but I have great confidence in their ability to overcome all the expected conditions during the contest,” said Dalic adding, “We hope to show our brand of football and get the result. Both teams have the same aspiration. It is going to be a good contest.”

Al Ain mid-fielder Lee Myung-Joo was of the view that they have a difficult mission on hand against KSA Premier League champions. “We will have to play to the best of our abilities and put in a massive effort,” said Myung-Joo, who also revealed that the team has undergone rigorous training programme set by their coach, Dalic, during the AGL break, and played a friendly against Sharjah.

“Tomorrow’s match is a real summit clash. Away from speculations, gaining the three points requires a high degree of concentration, error-free play; this is what we intend to do in order to win and bring joy to our fans,” added Myung-Joo.

Al Ahli Swiss coach Christian Gross speaking about his team’s chances said: “Everyone understands the situation of this contest. Win is very important for both teams but it is a home game for us and we have to win to make up for the last loss. Only a win can revive our fortunes and the players will give it everything.”