Diaky confident Al Ain will beat Jazira

Martyn Thomas 09:44 06/05/2014
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  • Familar face: Al Ain’s Ibrahim Diaky in Asian action against Lekhwiya earlier this season.

    Ibrahim Diaky believes Al Ain have learned from the mistakes made against Al Jazira this season and are ready to inflict more AFC Champions League misery on his former employers.

    Jazira host the first leg of the round-of-16 clash tonight unbeaten in three games against the Boss, including last Thursday’s 2-2 draw at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.

    The only other time the Pride of Abu Dhabi reached the knockout phase of the competition, in 2012, Diaky wore their captain’s armband as they slipped to a penalty shootout defeat to Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia.

    He admits it will be “strange” to step out onto the Mohammed bin Zayed turf as an opposition player for only the third time since leaving last summer, but the midfielder is confident the Boss can gain a positive result ahead of the second leg in Al Ain next Tuesday.

    “It is a very, very important game for us because we need to qualify for the quarter-final,” said Diaky, who scored in a 3-1 League Cup defeat on his old ground last November.

    “Me and my team-mates, we are ready for this challenge and will use the last game in the league, and fix the mistakes that we made. I think we are ready for this game.

    “There are two games so you cannot decide (the tie) after the first game. We have to go there to win, though, to give our best to win and to score as many goals as we possibly can. Al Jazira are a big team, with quality players but we have good players too and are a very good team.

    “I know only one thing, we have trained well and I can see that my team-mates are very motivated for this game. So I am sure we can get a good result.”

    With the two Arabian Gulf League clubs playing each other in the last 16, the UAE is guaranteed its first representative in the quarter- finals since Al Wahda in 2007.

    Jazira coach Walter Zenga admitted that he would rather face the Boss in the last eight, but Diaky does not think the familiarity between the two sides will affect the quality of the game.

    “Asia is Asia,” he added. “There is a reason why the teams have qualified for the second round. So the motivation is much higher than in the league, for example.

    “We all want to qualify so we are expecting a Jazira side who will come to do that as well. We know the quality they have, but [from] what I know and what I see (in training), we are really ready to win this game.”

    While Al Ain have yet to beat Jazira this season, there has been an upturn in form at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium since the arrival of coach Zlatko Dalic, with the Boss unbeaten in eight games.

    “He’s a good coach and he’s doing a good job, especially in training,” Diaky said of the Croatian. “He is a good trainer and he tries to motivate the players. And I think at the same time the players are ready to fight for him, which is the most important thing for a coach.”

    For his part, Dalic has vowed to stick to his side’s attacking principles as they look to take an allimportant away goal back to the Garden City next week.

    “For us a good result will be a draw and to score but we want to win and will try to win,” the Croatian said. “I know what my team can do. We will play our style – the Al Ain style. I do not like to play a closed style of football.”

    Mirel Radoi, who played the last 22 minutes of Thursday’s draw following almost seven weeks out, could start at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium. However, Dalic revealed that fellow injury doubt, Alex Brosque, would only be fit for a place on the bench as he continues his rehabilitation from an ankle injury.

    Despite the absence of Brosque, Jazira coach Zenga – who has injury concerns of his own – is expecting an onslaught from the visitors given their hectic fixture list between now and the end of the season.

    However that does not mean he will set up his side to defend.

    “They have a tough schedule and probably want to finish the tie [in teh first leg] but we are Jazira and we want to win,” the Italian said. “My team is not a team who plays defensively, we attack.”

    Zenga will again be without defenders Juma Abdulla and Abdulla Mousa although Abdelaziz Barrada will be back after he served a domestic suspension during Thursday’s 2-2 draw.

    The continued absence of Mousa and Abdulla should mean Hassan Ameen retains his place at left-back with midfielder Shin Hyung-Min once again asked to fill in at centre back.

    “We have the same squad with the same injuries but I think my team is ready,” Zenga added.

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