Al Ain coach Zlatko Dalic has urged his side to make sure of top spot in Group C by beating Al Ittihad at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.
Following their stunning 5-0 win against Lekhwiya in Qatar last Tuesday, the Boss only need a point to be sure of first place as they entertain an Ittihad side whoinflicted a 2-1 defeat on them in Saudi Arabia last month.
That is one of only two defeats suffered in eight games under Dalic, though, and with Al Ain currently on a five-game unbeaten run their Croatian coach wants that run to continue with the round of 16 just a fortnight away.
“Our aim for the match is to confirm our position on top of the group and to continue winning following our recent great results,” the Croatian said. “We are at an important stage of the competition and we will be playing against a strong team.
“We want to finish the group stage on top and hopefully we can avenge our defeat in the previous meeting against Al Ittihad.
“We hope that the players will put in a good performance and that we can get a positive result at home and in front of our fans.”
Dalic should welcome back UAE defender Mohammed Ahmed into his side, after the 25-year-old missed the trip to Qatar through suspension.
Ittihad arrive in the Garden City on the back of a 2-1 first-leg defeat in the King’s Cup and without suspended midfielder Leandro Bonfirm.
