Dibba Al Fujairah’s eye-catching 4-2 victory against Arabian Gulf League heavyweights Al Jazira last time out has ensured Al Ain will not be taking them lightly on Saturday, insists midfielder Ibrahim Diaky.
The veteran says the visitors to Hazza bin Zayed Stadium cannot be considered a small team and believes that the Boss will have to be fully focused on these types of games throughout the season as they are there to be shot at as champions.
“The game is very important for us because if you remember Dibba beat Jazira so you cannot say they are a small team,” said the 33-year-old at the unveiling of Abu Dhabi Motors as Al Ain’s official automotive partner for the 2015-16 season.
“We have to be really focused on this game because we want to be on top. It will be very important for us to concentrate and win this game.”
The champions are third in the table – a point behind leaders Al Nasr – but Diaky says he and his team-mates need to be weary of “dangerous” Dibba following their stunning victory against Jazira.
“Of course they are dangerous. They are not a small team, even compared to Al Ain,” said Diaky.
“Against any team we have to be careful because we are champions so of course everybody wants to beat us. It is up to us to be really focused and concentrated on all the games and win them.”
Defender Ismail Ahmed echoed Diaky’s warning ahead of the game, saying that the Boss must respect today’s opponents.
“In football you have big teams and small teams but the only thing that matters is who will play well in the field and who will win,” said the 32-year-old UAE international.
“We must respect Dibba because they have a win against Jazira. That is why in football you never know between the small and big teams who will play good because it is 11 on 11. Inshallah we will win.”
Al Ain head coach Zlatko Dalic will have been happy to have had his players back in the Garden City this week after the two-week international break and the Croatian will be keen to get back to action following the 2-1 defeat to Al Wahda last time out.
“It’s not easy for me because I have been for a lot of time without my players but I live like this,” said Dalic.
“My example is pre-season. We had the (UAE-Morocco) Super Cup in Morocco (against Wydad Casablanca) and then the (Arabian Gulf) Super Cup v Al Nasr, so there’s been games, then rest, games then rest.
“I don’t know what I can say about this because if I say something we will be targets.
“The game will be difficult for us because Dibba won against Al Jazira and took one point from Shabab (before that), but I hope for a good performance.”
