DUBAI // Saeed Al Kathiri, the Al Ain striker, said he believes his team will be favourites to win tomorrow's Super Cup clash against Al Ahli given their form this season.
The UAE international did warn, though, that his team cannot take the struggling Arabian Gulf League champions lightly.
Ahli were dominant last season when they deposed Al Ain as the league champions after having won the Super Cup and the Arabian Gulf Cup, but they have been struggling to make an impact this season.
Their campaign has been marred by injuries and inconsistent form, and some questionable decisions regarding team composition. Ahli failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the Arabian Gulf Cup this term and are sixth on the AGL’s points table.
On the other hand, Al Ain, who thwarted Ahli’s bid for a clean sweep of domestic titles by prevailing 1-0 over Cosmin Olaroiu’s men in last year’s President’s Cup final, are at the top of the league table, four points ahead of Al Jazira, and seem to be cruising towards a third title in four seasons.
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Given their “results in the league and the AFC Champions League”, Al Kathiri said he believes Al Ain are favourites ahead of the match at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium.
“On paper, we are better placed to win the Super Cup,” Al Kathiri said. “We are aware that all the conditions are in our favour, but that does not mean the result of the match has already been decided.
“Ahli have the players who can bounce back at any time, in any game, against any team. They have the technical ability to beat any team and we at Al Ain are fully aware of this fact.
“So, we will go into the game without taking anything for granted because our goal is clear for us: to bring happiness to our fans, who are always standing behind us. Once again, we will need their support in this match.”
The Super Cup is the traditional opener to the season but the match was rescheduled this season because of Al Ain’s Asian Champions League commitments last year, when they reached the semis of the continental championships before losing to Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal.
Asamoah Gyan was the top scorer in the Champions League last year with 12 goals, two more than Hilal’s Nasser Al Shamrani, who was later voted as Asian Footballer of the Year.
Gyan could be a doubt for Friday’s match because of a lingering thigh injury, which has forced him to sit out of the past two league matches.
The team management has not made a decision yet, but the Ghanaian seems keen to play, having turned down an invitation to join his national team for their international friendlies against Senegal and Mali.
Lee Myung-joo also has opted out of South Korea’s friendly against Uzbekistan to help Al Ain, who will be missing Miroslav Stoch because of international duty.
Stoch is part of the Slovakian team, who will take on Luxembourg on Friday in a Euro 2016 qualifying match.
Al Kathiri could be leading the Al Ain attack if Gyan fails to make it to the starting XI, but the former Al Wahda man is confident his team will not be affected by the absence of any players.
“We have been through some really difficult situations this season and the team has already shown there is no difference between our regulars and the replacements,” he said.
“We are playing together as a team and that is what separates Al Ain from the rest this season. We have won many matches despite the absence of many important players.”
arizvi@thenational.ae
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