Lee Myung-joo says his Al Ain side have no other option than to glean victory from Tuesday’s Asian Champions League match against Nasaf.
The UAE champions, currently second in Group D, have made the trip to Uzbekistan for the pool’s penultimate fixture intent on getting a win to make certain their qualification for the knockout stages.
Al Ain come into the match on the back of a damaging defeat to Al Ahli in the Arabian Gulf League, but have already showed resilience in Asia by rebounding from opening losses to Qatar’s El Jaish with consecutive victories against Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli.
Al Ain, Asian champions in 2003, now face Nasaf knowing a win will guarantee their place in the last 16 with one match to spare. Lee, though, has urged his teammates to complete the job in Karshi.
“We have no choice but to win and go back to the UAE with three points if we want to qualify to the next stage of the Champions League,” the South Korean midfielder said. “We will show the best we have so that we can achieve our objectives in this important stage of the strongest competition in Asia.”
Coach Zlatko Dalic said he anticipates a difficult match against Nasaf, who five rounds into the Uzbek season share top spot in the league with Lokomotiv and Bunyodkor, but the Croat remains confident Al Ain have the quality to return home with the points. They are without the suspended Mohammed Abdulrahman, although the rest of the squad have travelled.
“Both teams face a very important match, with Al Ain needing three points over the next two meetings with Nasaf,” Dalic said. “But our main objective is to resolve matters in Karshi.
“Sure, the match will be very competitive, but we will fight to achieve our target and the goal of qualifying from the group stage for the third time in a row. I expect a strong confrontation with Nasaf at home and in front of their fans, but we will show our personality and our style.”
Asked about a response from last Thursday’s 1-0 league defeat to Ahli, a result that almost ensured Ahli will lift the title, Dalic said: “Yes, we lost in the league without scoring, but we showed a strong response in the second half of that match. We did everything on the pitch.
“Now, we think only about the game against Nasaf. We should double our efforts and enhance our focus to show our best and achieve a strong result.”
Elsewhere, Al Jazira host Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor with little left to play for. The Abu Dhabi club are bottom of Group C with a solitary point and therefore cannot advance. However, coach Henk ten Cate wants to use the game to build momentum for the final stage of the UAE domestic season.
“That we’re mathematically out of the Champions League does not mean we’re going into tomorrow’s match without the desire to win,” he said. “Our preparations during the past few days have gone well, and the players are determined on showing their best.
“We will strive to earn full points so we get a boost to help us better prepare for the rest of our important games in the Arabian Gulf League and the match against Sharjah in the quarter-finals of the President’s Cup.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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