JEONJU // Zlatko Dalic is confident his Al Ain team are ready for the “biggest match of their careers” when they take on Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the first leg of the Asian Champions League final.
The UAE side, the only Emirati club to be crowned continental champions, face their South Korean opponents at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium on Saturday, with the second leg to come at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium one week later.
Al Ain have long chased the Champions League title since winning the trophy in 2003 against Thailand’s BEC Tero Sasana, and were robbed of the opportunity to do so two years later when they lost out to Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad in the final. They meet a Jeonbuk side with Champions League pedigree, too, with the club winning in 2006 and then finishing as runner-up five years ago.
“These seven days are the most important in the season for both teams,” Dalic said. “Two of the best teams in Asia will play for to be champions, for glory, for history. Now we are close, but are still too far from our dream, from our goal.
“We play against a very, very strong team, a compact team, but like always, I’m an optimist. I believe in my team, my players, my job. We came here to try to play a good game and make a good result for us, a happy result for the second game.
“Big respect for our opponents. I know they are very strong team – if you reach the final you must be a big team. But we are ready for a big final and we are ready to win.”
Dalic has been buoyed by Al Ain’s away form in Asia this season. After losing their first two matches in Group D to El Jaish, they are undefeated, registering three wins in five fixtures outside the UAE.
Also from John McAuley in South Korea:
Big interview: Lee Myung-joo's target before home return
Choi Kang-hee: Defeat will affect Jeonbuk players, says manager
Comment: Al Ain players will do well to play match, not final
Opposition research: All you need to know about Jeonbuk, plus more
For the first leg, the Croatian has almost a full squad from which to choose, with captain and principal playmaker Omar Abdulrahman recovered from a back injury sustained while on international duty last week. However, Amer Abdulrahman has been declared not fit to take part despite training with the team late Friday. The Al Ain midfielder has not sufficiently recovered from ankle ligament damage in time for Jeonbuk.
Dalic insisted he will play to win the first leg against a Jeonbuk side who are unbeaten in 11 home matches in Asia. He also insisted the 13-year wait for the Champions League crown does not weigh heavily on his team.
“As I said, these seven days are the most important games in some of the players’ careers,” Dalic said. “At the beginning, 10 months ago, it was a very tough time for us. We hadn’t enough time to prepare my players, but always they found more fight, more energy for this competition.
“We don’t need to have any pressure. I’ll prepare my team to enjoy their football – it’s a final, it’s a fantastic experience. All players, when they play the final they don’t need any motivation. So play without any pressure, enjoy the football and do their best.”
Asked about the temperature in Jeonju, which around kick-off could drop to as low as 10 degrees centigrade, and the much-criticised state of the hosts’ pitch, Dalic said: “In the past 10 months there was nothing easy for us. We came through a very tough way to reach the final and now everyone is happy because we are ready, we want this final, we want to make history and realise our dream.
“We played 10 months for this moment, for these seven days. Everything for the trophy. I don’t want to think about pitch, rain, temperature. I don’t want to find excuses. It’s the final.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
