Cosmin Olaroiu has said a difficult test awaits his Al Ahli side in the Asian Champions League quarter-finals, where they will face Iranian club Naft Tehran.
Al Ahli reached the last-eight by eliminating domestic rivals Al Ain on away goals after a thrilling 3-3 second leg draw at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.
The Dubai club will take confidence from the fact Al Ain secured a comfortable home victory and an away draw against Naft Tehran in the group stage, but Olaroiu insists the Iranian side are not to be taken lightly.
"They are difficult opponents," Olaroiu told the Al Ahli website in comments translated from Arabic by The National. "Iranian football in general is getting better and their clubs are some of the continent's best."
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With a one-month delay to the start of the Arabian Gulf League season, Ahli’s August 26 match in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium is the next big game involving a UAE club. The return leg, at Ahli’s Rashid Stadium, will be played on September 16.
“It will be tough for both teams,” Olaroiu said. “At the moment, this is our priority and later, if we progress, we can start planning for the semi-final. It is natural to enter every competition thinking of the title but we also have to be realistic.
“Our team was not expected to reach this stage of the competition, but now we are one of the challengers so of course it is not impossible to win it. First, we have to regain our fitness, then look to that match and beyond.”
Ahli have attempted to solve last season’s goal-scoring issues, which resulted in a feeble defence of their league title, with the recruitment of Brazilian forward Rodrigo Lima from Benfica.
The early signs are promising, with Lima on target three times in two preseason matches, and Olaroiu expects the 32-year-old to provide the cutting edge in the final third.
“Last season, we suffered when Ahmed Khalil wasn’t scoring,” Olaroiu said. “When he returned and was scoring freely, it was near the end of the season. We shouldn’t forget his decisive goals in the Champions League.
“Now, with Lima’s addition, our attacking threat will increase because he has the character and experience to improve the team in general as well as increasing the number of goals. However, scoring is not one player’s responsibility, but the whole team’s.”
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