Catalin Raducan, the Al Ahli assistant coach, has rejected the notion that victory against Al Ain on Sunday will guarantee his side the Arabian Gulf League title.
Ahli travel to the UAE champions with a three-point lead at the top of the table, knowing a win would restore their advantage over second-placed Al Shabab.
They have also been boosted by the news that manager Cosmin Olaroiu will be allowed back in the dugout as he awaits a Court of Arbitration for Sport appeal against his six-month ban for violating his Al Ain contact last summer.
With six matches remaining after this week, six points may seem an insurmountable gap for the chasing pack, especially given Ahli have had only two defeats this season.
With testing encounters against Shabab and Al Jazira – the Abu Dhabi club sit third – to come, Raducan stressed that much work lies ahead and begins on Sunday against a struggling Al Ain at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.
“Al Ain have very skilful players, like Asamoah Gyan, who’s been the league’s top scorer the past two seasons, and Omar Abdulrahman, but we are ready to face them,” Raducan said.
“We are confident our performance will be what it should be, and that we can continue the good results from the previous games. But there are more matches to come, so the league has not yet been decided.
“Our philosophy is that every game is a final. It’s still too early to talk about the resolution of the league.”
Ahli have been so dominant this term that they not only look set for a first top-flight trophy in five years, but they contest the League Cup final and President's Cup final during the next few months, too. They also sit top of their group in the Asian Champions League.
It is a position familiar to Al Ain, whose midweek victory against Iran's Tractor Sazi also put them first in their group and went some way to lifting the gloom of a hugely disappointing domestic campaign.
The Garden City club are Ahli's opponents in the President's Cup final in May but, at present, Al Ain languish at eighth in the Arabian Gulf League. Zlatko Dalic, their recently installed coach, is seeking to confine those troubles to the past, including the tensions that have escalated between Al Ain and Ahli during the past 18 months.
“I have no comment on that,” he said. “My aim is clear: the match on Sunday is a rehearsal for the President’s Cup final and the upcoming Champions League matches.
“So the targets for this game are first to improve our league position and then to prepare the team for the Champions League match against Tractor in Iran in April.
“I know Al Ain and Al Ahli are big teams and have great players, so the match will be tough.”
That task will be even more difficult with Al Ain missing Mirel Radoi and Alex Brosque. Mohammed Fayez, the full-back, is also out, while Omar Abdulrahman is fit enough only to start as substitute.
Dalic, though, is confident he has the squad to cope.
“Any player in the team is qualified to defend Al Ain’s name on the pitch. I trust all of them,” he said. “They are all stars. The win in the previous match against Tractor will be a good motivation for the players. We’ll do our best in our own stadium to achieve the best result.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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