DOHA // El Jaish must “make Al Ain crazy” in Tuesday’s Asian Champions League semi-final second leg if they are to stand any chance of making the final, according to manager Sabri Lamouchi.
The Qatar side, never before this far into the tournament, trail 3-1 from last month's opener in Al Ain, but know a 2-0 victory would seal their place in the showpiece on the away-goal rule.
However, they are up against it at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, especially since Al Ain are significantly more experienced. Champions in 2003, they contested the last four as recently as two seasons ago.
More from the Asian Champions League:
• Omar Abdulrahman: Man-of-the-match means nothing — being champions of Asia does
• Video: A fan's view of Omar Abdulrahman's stunning free-kick in the semi-final first leg
• Sambri Lamouchi: Omar Abdulrahman 'the best player in Asia' after first leg masterclass
“The performance tomorrow is so important against a big team,” Lamouchi said. “Sometimes we want to forget that we are playing tomorrow against Al Ain. Don’t put Al Ain and El Jaish on the same level, because the history, the titles, the players, the team, the experience is not the same.
“If we want to play the final we need to score two goals, three or maybe four. We know before the start that it will be a tough game, they have a lot of quality, a lot of good players, have two goals’ advantage. So it’s easier for them.
“Of course, if we score early it’s better for us. But if we score the first goal I’m sure Al Ain have a lot of solutions, because they have a lot of experience. We must be smart and passionate to make them crazy and put them under pressure. This is the target. If we want to play the final we don’t have another option.”
El Jaish's chances will depend heavily on whether they can curb Omar Abdulrahman. The UAE playmaker was the star of the first leg, assisting two goals and scoring once. Afterwards, Lamouchi labelled him "absolutely the best player in Asia".
Asked how he plans to handle Abdulrahman this time, the Frenchman said: “We have a lot of choice. You put one player, but maybe it won’t be enough; you put two, maybe it won’t be enough; you put three, maybe it won’t be enough. And they have different players.
“We know about the quality. Big players are big players. He’s a top player; he can make the difference all the time. Of course, if you control him you control more of the game, but it’s not easy to control him.”
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