Dalic urges Al Ain to seize opportunity

Jon Turner 17:39 14/09/2014
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  • More to come: Dalic is confident Al Ain can progress past Al Hilal and reach the final.

    Al Ain coach Zlatko Dalic has hailed his team's achievement of reaching the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League but warned they must be at their very best if they are to defeat his former club Al Hilal and progress to the final.

    The Boss were in impressive form at the quarter-final stage, cruising past Saudi giants Al Ittihad 5-1 on aggregate to set up the showdown with Al Hilal, who were coached by Dalic in 2013. 

    Victory over Al Hilal will see Al Ain reach the final for the first time since 2005 – two years after they won the inaugural tournament – and while Dalic is confident of his side's chances, he insists there will be no room for complacency. 

    "It is a big result for our club and for me personally," said Dalic, who took charge at Al Ain in March and led the club to the President's Cup. "To be placed amongst the four best teams in Asia is a superb achievement, but we want more, and I'm confident that we can make an even better result.

    "Al Hilal is a big club, the best club in Asia in the 20th century, and for me this is a special match. I'm playing against my former club, against players that I used to coach, so there are no big secrets.

    "I know Al Hilal and their players very well, and also they know my style and my work. I respect Al Hilal as a team, but also I respect my players and my current club Al Ain, and I believe that we will move forward to the finals."

    Al Ain will head into the first leg on Tuesday without any competitive football since their quarter-final second leg victory on August 26, while Al Hilal are unbeaten in their opening four games of the Saudi league. 

    Dalic admits the preparations are far from ideal, but insists now is not the time for excuses.

    "For us, the game against Al Hilal will be more intense, after all it is a semi-final. There are four teams left in competition, who are the best teams in Asia, so it will be a tough two games," added Dalic.

    "It is a bad situation for us since we have played only two competitive games in this season, but we must be ready since there are no excuses.

    "We won our last three away games in the AFC Champions League, but we are aware that we will be facing 70,000 loud fans, but we are ready for it. I will tell my players that they must concentrate only on field.

    "I believe in my team and I will try to push them forward and I'm very optimistic about this game."

    The first leg will take place at Al Hilal's King Fahd International Stadium on September 16, with the return leg at Al Ain's Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium on September 30.

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