Abu Dhabi: Eleven-time UAE champions Al Ain, having kicked off their Arabian Gulf League (AGL) campaign with a 2-0 home win over Al Wasl at the weekend, will be looking to build some momentum when they visit Ajman on Wednesday.
Another positive result would be an ideal way for them to prepare for their do-or-die clash with Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal in the return leg of their AFC Champions League semi-final next week, especially as they have to make up a 3-0 deficit in that tie.
Al Ain’s Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic was pleased with his side’s success against Al Wasl, but felt the win wasn’t convincing enough.
“Winning the three points made me happy, but the performance was unconvincing for me. We should show our real power in front of Ajman,” he said.
“The match against Ajman will be tough but I have solid confidence in my team and all the individuals. They are training efficiently to win this game. We are going to Ajman to win and show the performance we prepared for.”
Ajman may have lost their first match against Al Jazira 3-2 and were then held 1-1 by Al Dhafra, but they will come on strong against Al Ain, according to Dalic.
“I played against Ajman’s head coach Fathi Al Jabal in the Saudi league. He is an excellent coach,” Dalic said.
“Ajman’s results in the first two matches will make them put in more effort against us. They will do everything possible to win three points and improve their position in the standings.”
Al Ain will welcome right-back Mohammad Fawzy back from injury against Ajman.
“Mohammad Ahmad left the previous match with a red card and this was a problem for us, but Fawzy, who was injured before, started training with the team and will be ready for the match,” Dalic added.
“I will definitely use Fawzy as he is an excellent player in this position, but he is still not fully ready. He trained yesterday [Monday] with the team and I’m sure he will continue training for the match against Ajman.”
Ajman’s Tunisian coach Al Jabal believes Al Ain’s AFC Champions League commitments may work in his team’s favour.
“We anticipate Al Ain will rest some of their players by virtue of their upcoming AFC Champions League game, but we know that their substitute players are equally strong and that we will have to proceed with caution regardless,” he said.
“There could be more pressure on Al Ain than on us as they have to think about two competitions at the moment. We will take the game very seriously and our target is to get all three points.”
Thursday’s AGL matches see Al Jazira take on Emirates and Fujairah meet Al Dhafra.
Al Jazira boss Eric Gerets has vowed defensive improvements after his side’s disappointing 2-2 draw at home against Fujairah, while their Argentinian playmaker Manuel Lanzini will be looking to continue his impressive start in Abu Dhabi.
Friday’s action sees Al Shabab, fresh from their morale-boosting win over champions Al Ahli, take on Dubai rivals Al Nasr.
In the capital, Al Wahda will be trying to keep their perfect record intact when they meet Bani Yas, while Sharjah meet promoted side Kalba.
