Al Ain will be competing to maintain their champion reputation when they travel to Al Nasr on Saturday night for a President’s Cup quarter-final, according to coach Zlatko Dalic.
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The Boss are both the holders of the competition and the reigning Arabian Gulf League winners after a stellar first year under the Croatian’s watch.
This success has come at a price however, with a gruelling fixture list placing this tie in the middle of a goalless two-legged AFC Champions League round-of-16 clash against rivals Al Ahli.
FT: Round of 16 – Al Ahli (UAE) 0-0 Al Ain #ACL2015
— The-AFC.com (@theafcdotcom) May 20, 2015
Dalic is acutely aware of the importance of the coming games, urging his side to maintain their standards and avoid critics’ barbs when asked how hard it has been to retain focus on their date at Al Maktoum Stadium.
He said: “Everybody expects a big result and win from us. I told my players we took the league, fantastic. But if we lose now they will be a bad team and I will be a bad coach.
“It will be difficult. But it is not that I don’t believe in my team, it is only that we are tired.”
Al Ain have played 23 matches in all competitions since the AGL’s resumption following January’s Asian Cup – winning 14, drawing seven and losing two.
This relentless run has seen Dalic juggle his squad expertly. Tonight, Slovakia winger Miroslav Stoch and veteran defensive midfielder Helal Saeed are expected to come back into the reckoning after being banned against Ahli while versatile UAE attacking midfielder Mohamed Abdulrahman should start.
Dalic insisted the battle on several fronts had seen him unable to correct tactical problems in training, instead focusing purely on ensuring his squad are in condition to take to the pitch.
He said: “We cannot improve anything now or fix anything. It is only, rest, rest, rest and recovery.
“We have not had time for training, we have not had time for anything else. It is a special game for us in the President’s Cup.”
It is a similar story for opponents Al Nasr. Their GCC Club Cup defence ended on Tuesday when they were eliminated in the last-four by Dubai rivals Al Shabab.
The Blue Wave have proven to be Cup experts under boss Ivan Jovanovic, also winning the Arabian Gulf Cup in January.
But the Serbian has question marks about four key players, with midfielder Tariq Ahmed, goalkeeper Ahmed Shambieh, full-back Mahmoud Khamis and centre-back Ali Al Ameri all carrying injuries.
