Zlatko Dalic has urged his Al Ain players to keep cool heads in Wednesday’s Asian Champions League decider with Al Ahli — a match the Croat has billed the biggest of the season for his side.
The UAE champions face their domestic rivals at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in the second leg of the last-16 clash, with the tie delicately poised following last week’s 0-0 draw in Dubai.
Al Ain, who boast the best backline in the competition, are wary of conceding at home; if Ahli score an away goal, the hosts will require at least two to progress to the quarter-finals.
The encounter represents Al Ain’s final assignment of an exhaustive campaign totalling 48 matches. The Garden City club, who regained the Arabian Gulf League title in April, relinquished their President’s Cup crown on Saturday when they were defeated 1-0 in the last eight by Al Nasr.
Understandably, Dalic wants his team to respond by finishing 2014/15 on a positive note.
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“Before the beginning of the season I had two goals: take the championship and qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals,” he said.
“We have done a hard job, but we have a hard job left.
“I’m sure my team will give everything. We have a positive result from the first game, so we don’t have any reason to be nervous. I’m sure my team will create chances, but we have to play good defence and be careful about the counter-attack.
“It’s simple: my players must play a smart game and be calm.”
Semi-finalists last year, Al Ain are the only remaining unbeaten side this year, while they have not tasted defeat at home in Asia in two years.
The return from suspension of Miroslav Stoch and Helal Saaed means Dalic can choose from a full squad.
Expectations are high, although Dalic insists it will not affect his players.
“For Al Ain, it’s 11 months of pressure, pressure every day,” he said. “It’s a big club. Everyone expects results. I’m ready and my players are ready for this pressure.
“I’m not afraid of anything tomorrow. I’ve repeated many times, I trust my players. They understand what this game means for us. I know we’ll play a fantastic game, that we’ll do everything to finish with a good result.
“But believe me, for us, this game will be the most important this season.”
Both Al Ain and Ahli come into the match on the back of a busy period, with Cosmin Olaroiu’s men still vying for the President’s Cup.
Olaroiu returns to his former club knowing the challenge ahead, but he is confident Ahli, in the knockout stages for the first time, can continue their Champions League journey.
“We’re playing against a very strong team,” he said. “It’s their last chance to reach another goal and this is going to give them more motivation.
“We know what we have to do to qualify: we need to score one or more goals. That’s why we’ve prepared a strategy that will hopefully work for us. We need to be very careful in everything we do.”
Majed Naser, the goalkeeper serving the final game of a six-match AFC ban, is Ahli’s only absentee.
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