The Boss have travelled to Uzbekistan on the back of Thursday’s crucial 1-0 loss to Al Ahli, which means their Arabian Gulf League crown is almost certainly headed to Dubai.
Victory tonight would send the 2014 semi-finalists through in Asia and Dalic, 49, demanded his squad fight for an immediate fillip.
He said: “Al Ain are in need of three points over the next two games and our main purpose is to resolve matters in Qarshi. We lost in the league without scoring, but we showed a strong response in the second half of that confrontation.
“Now, we think only about the match against Nasaf. We should double our efforts, to show our best and achieve a strong result.”
The match at the Central Stadium pits the second-placed Boss against third-placed hosts. With a clash in the UAE set to round out their Group D commitments, Nasaf coach Ruziqul Berdiev wants to make the most of home advantage and secure a top-two finish.
He said: “Al Ain possess several skilful players. Our ambition is to win, because it represents our only chance to proceed.”
Al Ain recovered superbly from a pair of opening losses to leaders El Jaish to do the double over Al Ahli Jeddah. South Korea midfielder Lee Myung-joo was under no illusions about the necessity of progression to the round of 16 for the 2003 winners.
He said: “We will show the best we have in this important stage of the strongest competition in Asia.”
