Grafite targets fast start to kick off Al Ahli’s Asian campaign

But captain of Arabian Gulf League club knows how difficult it will be to beat Al Hilal, of Saudi Arabia, in the Asian Champions League on Wednesday night, reports John McAuley.

Grafite, second from left, has spearheaded Al Ahli to the top of the Arabian Gulf League table. Satish Kumar / The National

DUBAI // Grafite, Al Ahli’s free-scoring captain, said that his side must begin strongly in the Asian Champions League when they return to the competition on Wednesday night for the first time in four years.

The Dubai club, flying high at the summit of the Arabian Gulf League, clash with Al Hilal at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, in what will be a daunting opening fixture to their latest continental campaign.

Ahli last contested in Asia in 2010, when they managed to register only a single victory from six matches; a programme that included a 1-1 draw at Hilal. Ahli struggled at their Rashid Stadium home that year, too, losing to Hilal and Qatar’s Al Sadd.

Sadd, the reigning Qatar Stars League champions, represent formidable opponents again this time round in a taxing Group D completed by Sepahan, the powerful Iranian club, who last year twice defeated Dubai’s Al Nasr.

Ahli therefore realise the importance of getting off to a promising start, something Grafite was keen to stress ahead of the Hilal encounter.

“Our group is very hard – Al Sadd were Asian champions two years ago – but you need to look at what you have,” the Brazilian said. “You don’t know how things will go, but it all depends on our first two games.

“If we take a good result from Hilal, get a draw or a win, and then come back home and win against Sadd then we have a real chance. And if we play like how we do in the championship here, even though the level of teams is higher than in the UAE league, you have a chance to achieve something.”

Grafite, 34, is new to the competition, given he signed for Ahli from Wolfsburg in 2011. However, during his time at the German Bundesliga club, the frontman participated in the Uefa Champions League and scored a hat-trick on debut. Predictably, it is a memory he holds dear.

“I’m looking forward to this tournament, because when I played the Champions League in Europe with Wolfsburg I saw it was the best championship in the world after the World Cup,” Grafite said.

“It’s a good experience. You have the high atmosphere and the stadiums full with fans, so we know it will really be nice. It’s the first time I play this competition in the Al Ahli shirt – I just hope I can play well and help my team.”

The objective this year, for all three UAE representatives – Al Ain and Al Jazira have also qualified – seems to be simply progression beyond the group stages. The country has a particularly poor recent record on the continent: since the UAE entered its professional era in 2009, only three sides from 20 have made it to the knockout rounds in Asia.

“Historically, UAE teams have not done so well, but they haven’t had the best start,” Grafite said. “Hopefully, we can change that. We will try our best.”

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