The 2014 semi-finalists need three points at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium against the Uzbeks to stay second and guarantee a third-successive trip into the knockout stages. Pressure ahead of the Group D decider has been ramped up by last week’s loss of their Arabian Gulf League crown to bitter rivals Al Ahli and rumours of apprehension about extending the Croatian’s rapidly-expiring contract.
Asked if victory this evening was pivotal to his long-term future, Dalic replied: “Yes, because I
“It is not easy. Our target is the AFC Champions League. It won’t only be Al Ain on the pitch, but we must do our best to win. I hope we’ll pass the group stage and take confidence into the next round and the President’s Cup – this is most important for us.
“In the last 10 days, we have done a good job and we’ll do everything for this game. I always see positives from my team and I hope my team will give a good answer.”
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The Boss surrendered their top-flight crown with a 3-2 loss to relegation battlers Fujairah last Thursday. A severely-weakened side was fielded after a decisive 1-0 defeat to Ahli in the previous week’s showdown derailed their defence.
Further shots at glory this term exist for Dalic to add to the three trophies already won since he took charge in March 2014 and he was keen to reinforce this message.
He said: “My apologies for all Al Ain fans, we’re second but it’s not a tragedy. Now we forget the league and put all our focus into the AFC Champions League and President’s Cup (they meet Al Wasl in the quarter-finals on May 12).
“I know how important it is for our fans, it’s ‘Asia, Asia, Asia’ because it’s a big, big competition. My players understand everything, they know there’s 20 days left and will do everything for success.
“The AFC Champions League is the biggest competition. Two years ago, we were semi-finalists and last year the last 16 – both times through the group stage.
“We have to see the future and cannot look behind us at the past.”
Opposition Nasaf have a stern task in front of them after they played out a 1-1 draw during the reverse fixture two weeks ago. For the bottom-placed side to proceed, they need to triumph in the Garden City and rely on already-qualified El Jaish to prevent resurgent Al Ahli Jeddah from winning.
“We know Al Ain is one of best and strongest teams in the UAE,” said boss Ruziqul Berdiev. “We must try to win and hope El Jaish deny Al Ahli the points.”
