Al Ahli may have been far from their best form in defeating Ajman on Friday night, but the Arabian Gulf League champions can find solace Luis Jimenez’s return to the squad.
The Red Knights welcomed Jimenez back against the Orange Brigade, following four weeks out with a hamstring injury. And it was during the 20 minutes that he played that Ahli were able to score the winner through Abdulaziz Haikal.
Jimenez, who had picked up the knock against Sepahan in the AFC Champions League a month ago, is not worried about his recent lack of game time and is confident of being fit for the President’s Cup final against Al Ain on May 18.
“I’m playing well. It’s a little bit hard, it’s not easy but I’m okay. Theimportant thing is that we won and took the three points,” the Chilean told Sport360° following the win over Ajman.
“I believe I’ll be ready for the Cup final. We have two more weeks, so it’s enough time for me to be better.”
Should Ahli win the President’s Cup, it would cap an unprecedented treble alongside their league and Arabian Gulf Cup titles. And Jimenez firmly believes that the side have moved on from their disappointing AFC Champions League exit.
“We didn’t have time to think about our exit from Asia. We tried, we were close and I hope next season we can do better in the Champions League,” said Jimenez.
“We are optimistic (about the cup final) because until now we have played three games against Al Ain and have won those three games.”
Meanwhile, Ahli striker Grafite, who is not too concerned about a knee injury he picked up against Ajman, said his side had played like they were on “holiday” at the Rashid Stadium.
And, the Brazilian is wary of the effects of slowing down during the business end of the season. “
We played as if we were on holiday, like a charity game or a friendly game,” conceded Grafite. “Sometimes that’s understandable because we’ve already won the league. But we should keep our concentration level because we have the final on the 18th.
“We should take care of the last game against Dhafra, we should make sure we play well leading to the final.”
Ahli will create further history should they defeat Dhafra in their last league fixture. Three points would see them top 64 points and eclipse Al Ain’s record of 62 points accumulated last year.
“That’s a good thing. If we don’t lose the next game we break the record, or if we draw, we’ll be tied with them. It’s important,” said Grafite.
The striker also pleased to see Jimenez is return, adding: “Luis, we miss him too much. He is a very important player for us. Even though the players who play in his place do well, you miss his character. I hope in the next game he can play more time and that he can be fit to help us in the final.”
