Al Nasr star Habib Fardan is hoping victory against Al Ain on Friday will push the Blue Wave to their rightful position in the league table.
The Dubai side face a tough task at home against the two-time league champions as they head into a difficult stretch of games that include fixtures with Al Jazira, Sharjah and Al Shabab.
Three defeats in their last five games has left the Blue Wave well off the pace for AFC Champions League qualification, sitting six points behind fourth place Sharjah.
“We have to put responsibility on ourselves,” UAE international Fardan said. “We beat Bani Yas in the last game but before that we lost some important points.
“This is a real chance for us to get back onto the right path and I think our team, the players and staff, we deserve much better this season and we deserve a better position and we will fight to get it back.”
Nasr aren’t the only big club in the doldrums at the moment. Their opponents have endured a torrid season that has seen their hunt for a third successive title fall apart.
With one win in their last five league games, Al Ain are as far adrift as Nasr in the race for AFC qualification.
The Boss did, though, claim a place in the final of the President’s Cup with a 2-1 extra-time defeat of the Blue Wave three weeks ago – their second victory over the Dubai club this season.
Al Ain benefitted from late strikes in both games and Nasr boss Ivan Jovanovic is hoping his side will enjoy a little more luck on Friday.
“I believe it is an interesting game coming up,” said the Serb. “It’s two good teams playing against each other.
“Both teams haven’t had good results recently, but we know what to expect from Al Ain. I believe it will be an interesting game, both teams really want the points.
“We played two games against them, both games were ended with late goals, now it’s our turn for luck to turn in our favour and I think we’ll win the game.”
Indeed, Al Ain coach Quique Sanchez Flores does not think his side start as favourites just because they won the previous two games.
“Yes, we have achieved two wins against Nasr but we recognise that each match has its own conditions,” he said. “It does not mean that because you have overcome a team on two occasions that you will gain the third.”
Sanchez Flores will be eager to pick up a win at the Al Maktoum Stadium in order to give his side some much-needed confidence ahead of their AFC Champions League opener against Lekhwiya next Wednesday.
Defeat would leave the Spaniard on the brink at Al Ain, but while he insisted his players would not be distracted by their upcoming Asian commitments, he again took responsibility for the club’s poor league form.
“I have great confidence too in the fans of Al Ain,” he said. “I repeat to them that I take responsibility. The public is well aware of how important their presence behind the team is in lifting the morale of the players.”
Sanchez Flores added: “Everyone is determined to achieve the aspirations of the fans, in order to restore the club to its natural place as one of the stronger Asian clubs.”
