Tuesday cover: Urgent plea from Zlatko Dalic as Al Ain face injury crisis

Al Ain manager Zlatko Dalic is the main focus on The National Sport front page on Tuesday, September 20 after he called on the club to make new signings.

Al Ain opened their league campaign with a narrow win over Baniyas, five days after they booked their place in the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League.

However, Dalic is facing a growing injury crisis after goalkeeper Khalid Essa was stretchered off with what appears to be hamstring injury. He could be joining Mohammed Ahmed on the sidelines after Al Ain’s first-choice right back was ruled out for six months following a knee injury sustained while playing for the UAE in a 2018 World Cup qualifier against Australia.

Speaking after Sunday’s Baniyas victory, Dalic said: “Al Ain is the only team who play all competitions: Champions League, President’s Cup, Arabian Gulf Cup, our league and national team games. It’s very, very difficult for me and my team because we won’t have enough players for all competitions.

“We must do something, we must bring two or three new players who will benefit my team, because we cannot be competitive in all competitions like this.”

Read more from Dalic and his increasing concerns over the strength of Al Ain's squad.

Also on the front page, Gary Meenaghan looks at what the future could hold for paralympic sport in the UAE after their most successful ever Games in Rio, and Paul Radley reports on the Abu Dhabi schoolboy rugby player who impressed at Saracens.

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