AL AIN // Cosmin Olaroiu wants to get Al Ain back on the title track with a win against Al Rayyan of Qatar in the Asian Champions League tonight at the Tahnoun bin Mohammed Stadium.
The Romanian, however, faces a selection dilemma with Asamoah Gyan, the Ghana captain and the club's top scorer, ruled out with an injury while Mirel Radoi, Omar Abdulrahman and Helal Saeed will have to pass late fitness tests before the game.
"We need to win this home game to keep our chance of going beyond the group stage alive," Olaroiu said.
Al Ain are on three points from two games. They won the opener against Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, 3-1, before losing to Esteghlal, 2-0, away.
Esteghlal, who meet Hilal later in the evening, top the group with four points from a draw and win, while Rayyan are at the bottom with one point.
"This group is wide open and any of the four teams can get through to the knockout round at this stage of the competition," Olaroiu said. "So this is very important match for both Rayyan and us.
"We have some injury problems, but that shouldn't be an issue for us. Of course, Gyan is a key player, but we have enough cover to make some adjustments in the attack.
"The others will have to pass a fitness test before the game. We may have Omar on the bench, and could bring him in at some point if required. But all that depends on the fitness test. He is too valuable to us and the national team to take any risk."
Rayyan, too, will miss the South Korean Cho Yong-hyung because of injury and the Uruguayan Alvaro Fernandez, who is suspended after drawing two yellow cards.
"We have only one point from two games and obviously the objective is to return with three points," Rayyan coach Diego Aguirre said.
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