Al Ahli coach Cosmin Olaroiu insists his players are being “punished” for their AFC Champions League run, saying the scheduling of matches is unfair on his team.
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The Red Knights face a tricky away test at Al Wasl in their game on Monday night. Victory at Zabeel Park will put them one point behind leaders Al Ain ahead of the second phase of the Arabian Gulf League. But their preparations for the match have been far from ideal.
Ahli’s run to the Champions League final saw matches being moved. Their latest was the 2-1 triumph over Emirates Club on Wednesday and Olaroiu believes the six-time league champions are unfairly paying the price.
“This is our eighth game in the period of 29 days and from my point of view this is not normal,” said the Romanian. “We have a good team and we’ve shown professionalism.
“This is an important game for us and I would thank them if they can achieve the three points because they’ve not had a long rest. We can’t afford to give our players proper time to recuperate as we have to get them on the field immediately.
“I’m actually feeling sad for the players because they are being punished for playing in the Asian Champions League. I hope we could be at a good level in the second round.”
With Wasl last in action on December 25, the 46-year-old admits the Cheetahs have the advantage.
“Rest is what our players are not receiving. Wasl have had rest,” he added. Despite the congested fixture schedule, Olaroiu has been pleased by his players’ efforts.
“We have won 10 games in the league so far and our road in the Asian Champions League was good,” he said. “In the Arabian Gulf Cup, we reached the semi-final and all this happened in spite of the pressures that we’ve had. So it was more than a satisfactory performance from our team.”
Ahli will be without suspended South Korean midfielder Kwon Kyung-won and striker Rodrigo Lima, who has flown to Portugal to undergo knee surgery.
Since his summer move from Benfica, the Brazilian has been in lethal form, scoring 11 in the league.
Tonight’s opponents will provide a stern test for Ahli. Fourth-placed Wasl go into the game on the back of a 1-1 draw against rivals Al Shabab but victory will put them level on points with third-placed Al Nasr.
And Ahli goalkeeper Majid Nasser is not taking them lightly, saying: “Al Wasl will be a tough match, especially for us as players under the circumstances that we are experiencing. Al Wasl provide a good level of competition but our determination to maintain our position will make us fight.”
Wasl coach Gabriel Calderon added: “Everyone knows this game will be tough for sure. We will enter the game in order to win and collect the three points. Ahli is the strongest team on paper with some quality international players, but the 90 minutes is where everything is happening.”
