Coach Zoran Mamic has warned his troops ahead of Wednesday’s 2018 Club World Cup kick-off that “the quality of Al Ain will come out” only when the hosts have edged the physical battle against spirited Team Wellington.
Both sides at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium are tournament debutants. This is, however, where the comparisons end between the first-round competitors.
The Boss boast a plethora of highly paid internationals, such as Sweden No9 Marcus Berg and Egypt midfielder Hussein El Shahat. In contrast, the Twitter account of their Kiwi opponents – the OFC Champions League holders – proudly states they are “100% amateur”.
“We have to fight like Wellington, run like Wellington, bring team spirit like Wellington – and then the quality of Al Ain will come out,” said ex-Croatia international Mamic, whose side won the Arabian Gulf League and President’s Cup last term. “We respect our opening team and we have to be at a good level.
“We want to represent Al Ain and the UAE in the best possible way. We are very happy to be part of this tournament and we wait for the game.”
A new dimension for Al Ain comes with the presence of Tongo Doumbia. The Mali defensive midfielder, 29, has been registered for the CWC, as there is no limit on the use of foreigners – unlike the AGL’s quota for four non-Emiratis.
Opponents Wellington have broken the seven-year stranglehold of rivals Auckland City on the OFC’s berth. This success followed on from successive New Zealand Football Championship triumphs in 2016 and 2017.
Walking out at the state-of-the-art Hazza will represent an enormous contrast to their 2,250-capacity David Farrington Park. But boss Jose Figueira is convinced his team will not be overawed.
"الزعيم العالمي" يختتم تدريباته اليوم على استاد خليفة بن زايد استعداداً لمواجهة تيم ويلينغتون في كأس العالم للأندية أبوظبي 2018 غداً
— Al Ain FC (@alainfcae) December 11, 2018
المزيد من الصور 👈 https://t.co/Fo3IDONzVP #العين_على_العالمية #نادي_العين pic.twitter.com/uiGWALzGy2
He said: “We understand we are coming to play in Al Ain’s home. As a group we are not scared of that and we’re facing it as a really exciting challenge.
“We are coming into the unknown in terms of playing in front of big crowds.
“At the same time, we’ve got a lot of experience playing in the OFC Champions League in front of crowds of 10,000 or 12,000.
“Hopefully we can make the game as big an occasion as possible. We will embrace that as a group and face that challenge head-on.”
The winners will face CAF Champions League winners Esperance de Tunis in Saturday’s quarter-final.
