Zlatko Dalic’s men have endured a difficult five-week period in which they lost four out of seven games in all competitions, including league defeats to Sharjah and Al Shabab – their first in more than four months.
The Boss have emerged from their first testing period of the season, however, earning back-to-back league victories in their last two outings, adding Friday’s 4-2 win at home to Bani Yas to a 3-1 win in Al Clasico against rivals Al Jazira five days earlier.
“Hope still exists that we can win the league because the gap (to Al Ahli) is only one point,” said the UAE international defender, 31. “We lost two matches but we were not worried, we have overcome it and hopefully we can come back and win the league.”
Salem was speaking at an adidas event in Dubai Mall on Saturday to launch the new UAE home and away kits ahead of World Cup qualifiers with Palestine and Saudi Arabia at the end of the month, insisting he and his club-mates are determined to retain their league crown.
“We are with the national team but we are focusing on the local league matches too, then we will think about the national team matches,” said Salem.
Even though the AGL now takes a near-month break for AFC Champions League and international games, both Al Ain and Ahli will still have an eye on domestic matters as the two UAE giants face each other in a likely title showdown at Rashid Stadium on April 14.
Ahli midfielder Habib Fardan, also speaking at the kit launch, has challenged his team-mates to win their remaining five games of the AGL season, signifying the clash with the Boss as the key to the title.
“We have confidence. We have five games and we should win all of them because there is only one point difference to Al Ain and we cannot lose any,” he said. “All the focus will be on our game with Al Ain because it will be a six-point game. It will be the most important game.”
Ahli had set up an Arabian Gulf Cup final date with Al Wahda after a 3-2 semi-final win against Al Shabab, but they were replaced by the Hawks last week due to new signing Khamis Esmail being deemed ineligible following a January move from Al Jazira, but Fardan says that decision will not give the Red Knights extra motivation to win the league.
“We don’t think about this tournament now,” he added. “We are focused on the league and Champions League, and whatever happens we as players must forget about it and get over it.”
