Khalid Essa is confident Al Ain can overcome a 2-1 deficit to Yokohama F Marinos when they meet on Saturday in the second leg of the Asian Champions League final.
The Garden City club lost the reverse fixture two weeks ago in Tokyo but can count on considerable home support for the return leg at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.
“I am not worried at all. On the contrary, I have a feeling of peacefulness," Essa said.
"On our way back home from Japan, I spoke with the team’s commissioner, Mohammed Obaid Hammad, and told him that I am ready now to take on the second leg match. It is not an exaggeration in confidence, more a feeling that is coming from the atmosphere that the team is witnessing."
Al Ain boast a formidable home record in this season's competition, winning all but one of their six matches through the group and knockout stages.
That included wins over highly fancied opposition in the form of Saudi powerhouses Al Nassr and Al Hilal. Nassr, led by the prolific Cristiano Ronaldo, fell to a 1-0 defeat in Al Ain while Hilal's world-record win streak of 34 matches was brought to a shuddering halt in a 4-2 defeat in the Garden City.
"No team who manages to reach the final of the Champions League does it by luck," Essa continued.
"There are several factors: hard work, effort, determination, planning, directions, recommendations, and limitless support ... and we have behind us our cheering fans who have always been supporting the team with all power they have, so I am not feeling worried at all.”
Under the guidance of former Chelsea, AC Milan and Argentina striker Hernan Crespo, Al Ain will bid to win only a second continental title. Following their 2003 triumph, Al Ain lost the 2005 and 2016 finals. They remain the only Emirati winner of the Asian Champions League.
Just over a year ago Crespo suffered the nadir of his coaching career while in charge at Al Duhail; the Qatari's were battered 7-0 in a one-legged semi-final against Al Hilal.
ACL Final first leg - in pictures
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Al Ain keeper Khalid Essa shakes hands with the Yokohama F Marinos players at full time in the Japanese side's 2-1 victory in the AFC Champions League final first leg at the Yokohama International Stadium, on Saturday, May 11, 2024. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Al Ain manager Hernan Crespo and Yokohama coach Harry Kewell shake hands at full time. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Yokohama manager Harry Kewell. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Soufiane Rahimi of Al Ain battles with Shinnosuke Hatanaka of Yokohama. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Mohammed Abbas of Al Ain celebrates his goal. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Khalid Al Hashemi, centre, and his Al Ain teammates shake hands with the Yokohama players at full time. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Kota Watanabe of Yokohama celebrates after scoring their winner. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Kota Watanabe of Yokohama, second left, celebrates after scoring their second goal. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Kota Watanabe of Yokohama celebrates. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Mohammed Abbas of Al Ain celebrates with teammate Soufiane Rahimi after scoring their opening goal against Yokohama F Marinos. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Asahi Uenaka of Yokohama F Marinos heads to score their opening goal. Getty Images -
Asahi Uenaka, right, of Yokohama F Marinos celebrates with teammate Nam Tae-hee after scoring their first goal. Getty Images -
Al Ain's Mohammed Abbas scores Al Ain's first goal. Reuters -
Kaku of Al Ain battles with Nam Tae-hee of Yokohama. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Soufiane Rahimi of Al Ain battles with Eduardo of Yokohama. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Al Ain manager Hernan Crespo during the game. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Al Ain fans before the first leg against Yokohama F Marinos. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Matias Palacios of Al Ain scores the team's second goal, only to see his strike later disallowed after a VAR review. Getty Images -
Matias Palacios of Al Ain celebrates after scoring the team's second goal, which was chalked off by VAR. Getty Images -
Ain's Emirati goalkeeper Khalid Eisa punches the ball clear. AFP -
Yokohama F Marinos' Taiki Watanabe and Al Ain's Soufiane Rahimi battle. AP -
Al Ain's Emirati goalkeeper Khalid Essa makes a save. AFP -
Al Ain's Emirati midfielder Mohammed Abbas attempts an overhead kick. AFP -
The teams come on to the pitch before kick-off. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Fast forward 12 months and Crespo is on the cusp of becoming the first Argentine to win Asian club football's premier prize.
"Crespo has a feature that is not present in many football managers, for he has the capability to make the most out of the Arab players," said Essa, one of only three survivors in Al Ain's squad from their 2016 final defeat to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
"Many Arab players are naturally temperamental, but at every match Crespo sets a goal and motivates the team to realise it.”
A full house is expected at the 25,000-seater Hazza bin Zayed Stadium for Saturday's match, with Essa calling on all UAE football fans to come out in support of Al Ain.
"What distinguishes football in the UAE is the unusual support for the nation’s representative, whether a club or the national football team," Essa said.
"As a player, no matter what the competition is, you have the feeling of representing the nation. Saturday's game will be a day for the nation to remember."
