After a 3-0 defeat in the first leg of the Asian Champion League (ACL) semi-finals to Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh last week, Al Ain picked themselves up in their Arabian Gulf League opener on Saturday.
Despite playing with 10 men for more than 30 minutes, they won 2-0 over Al Wasl, but Zlatko Dalic has demanded more from his players for tonight's away fixture against Ajman.
“I was happy with the three points against Wasl, but not satisfied with the performance of the team,” he said.
“I expect my players to show a lot of improvement from that game when we play Ajman.”
Ajman lost their opener to Al Jazira 3-2 and drew 1-1 at Al Dhafra last weekend. Dalic believes, despite being winless, that they are tough opponents.
“They are in good hands of an experienced coach,” he said of Tunisian manager Fathi Al Jabal. “I know him and his handling of a team [Al Fateh] from my time in Saudi Arabia.”
Dalic coached in Saudi Arabia for two different teams, including Al Hilal.
Balancing getting points on the board, while coping with a busy schedule that makes tonight’s game their third match in eight days, has made life complicated for Al Ain. Dalic is determined that they will cope with the challenge.
“Our game also comes too soon,” he said. “We had four days to prepare for this away game.
“We are not looking for excuses, but these are issues when we have to prepare for two different competitions. However, we are not thinking anything beyond the Ajman match.
“As usual, we will take one game at a time, because our objective is also to win the domestic competitions, particularly the league.”
The game with Ajman was originally scheduled for the first day of the league season, but it was postponed to allow Dalic’s men to prepare for their ACL semi-final in Saudi Arabia.
They now have the daunting task of turning around a 3-0 deficit on their home leg against Hilal on September 30.
Dalic will travel to Ajman without the defender Mohammed Ahmed, who is serving a one-match ban following his red card against Wasl.
Mohammed Fawzi, the former Baniyas midfielder, is set to fill the void in the line-up.
“Fawzi is a versatile player and can fit into the right-back position,” he said.
“He suffered an injury in the match against Al Ittihad but has been involved in the team’s training since Sunday. If he’s ready, which I think he is, we have that problem sorted out.
“Otherwise, we have a full squad travelling. There are some players who received some knocks in the last game, but they are only minor issues. I think we have got off to a good start in the league and want to consolidate it with another three points.”
apassela@thenational.ae
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Match info
Uefa Champions League Group F
Manchester City v Hoffenheim, midnight (Wednesday, UAE)
UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
The years Ramadan fell in May
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
The 24-man squad:
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City).
Midfielders: Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Youri Tielemans (Monaco), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur).
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea/Dortmund), Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Dries Mertens (Napoli).
Standby player: Laurent Ciman (Los Angeles FC).
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
