After a 3-0 defeat in the first leg of the Asian Champion League (ACL) semi-finals to Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh last week, Al Ain picked themselves up in their Arabian Gulf League opener on Saturday.
Despite playing with 10 men for more than 30 minutes, they won 2-0 over Al Wasl, but Zlatko Dalic has demanded more from his players for tonight's away fixture against Ajman.
“I was happy with the three points against Wasl, but not satisfied with the performance of the team,” he said.
“I expect my players to show a lot of improvement from that game when we play Ajman.”
Ajman lost their opener to Al Jazira 3-2 and drew 1-1 at Al Dhafra last weekend. Dalic believes, despite being winless, that they are tough opponents.
“They are in good hands of an experienced coach,” he said of Tunisian manager Fathi Al Jabal. “I know him and his handling of a team [Al Fateh] from my time in Saudi Arabia.”
Dalic coached in Saudi Arabia for two different teams, including Al Hilal.
Balancing getting points on the board, while coping with a busy schedule that makes tonight’s game their third match in eight days, has made life complicated for Al Ain. Dalic is determined that they will cope with the challenge.
“Our game also comes too soon,” he said. “We had four days to prepare for this away game.
“We are not looking for excuses, but these are issues when we have to prepare for two different competitions. However, we are not thinking anything beyond the Ajman match.
“As usual, we will take one game at a time, because our objective is also to win the domestic competitions, particularly the league.”
The game with Ajman was originally scheduled for the first day of the league season, but it was postponed to allow Dalic’s men to prepare for their ACL semi-final in Saudi Arabia.
They now have the daunting task of turning around a 3-0 deficit on their home leg against Hilal on September 30.
Dalic will travel to Ajman without the defender Mohammed Ahmed, who is serving a one-match ban following his red card against Wasl.
Mohammed Fawzi, the former Baniyas midfielder, is set to fill the void in the line-up.
“Fawzi is a versatile player and can fit into the right-back position,” he said.
“He suffered an injury in the match against Al Ittihad but has been involved in the team’s training since Sunday. If he’s ready, which I think he is, we have that problem sorted out.
“Otherwise, we have a full squad travelling. There are some players who received some knocks in the last game, but they are only minor issues. I think we have got off to a good start in the league and want to consolidate it with another three points.”
apassela@thenational.ae
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