Milos Milojevic urges Al Wasl to dig deep against Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez and Co in Champions League

UAE champions host star-studded Saudi side at Zabeel Stadium on Monday after a frenetic few weeks of action

Al Wasl manager Milos Milojevic watches on during the UAE Pro League match against Al Ain at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain. Pawan Singh / The National

After a physically and emotionally draining few days, you might think the last thing Al Wasl need is Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez, Ivan Toney and their mates rocking up ready for a game.

The UAE champions have been to the well twice over the past week and a bit, facing their two biggest domestic rivals in a pair of the finest adverts imaginable for the game in this country. And now they will be asked to go again in the AFC Champions League Elite, against one of the most star-studded squads in all of Asia.

Al Ahli arrive from Jeddah with the likes of Firmino, Mahrez, Toney, Franck Kessie and Edouard Mendy in tow. Daunting? Far from it, according to Milos Milojevic. Al Wasl’s Serbian manager points out games like these are the ones players want to be involved in.

“We are playing tough games and again I have to read from them who is on the energetic level, and motivationally and mentally ready to play this game,” Milojevic said.

“We know what kind of squad Al Ahli has and we have to dig deep to get something from this game, and I hope we can do that. I think it’s good when you do bad and then shortly after you have a game. I know my players. They have character. They want to show [losing 4-2 to Al Ain on Thursday] was just a bad day. [Five] days ago we had a good game.”

Al Wasl’s return to Champions League action follows four days after their trip to a pulsating Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain.

The UAE Pro League meeting pitted together the champions of the Emirates and the champions of Asia. It was a match deemed so big that Clement Turpin, the Frenchman who is regarded by many as the leading official in the game, was flown in to take charge.

Even he had his work cut out to keep order, so combustible was the occasion, as he meted out three yellow cards, a red, and gave a penalty, too.

Five days before that, Al Wasl had met their other great rivals, Al Nasr, in the Oud Metha derby. That, too, was a classic, as they overturned an early Adel Taarabt goal to win 3-1, thanks largely to a virtuoso display by winger Ali Saleh.

For all the emotional energy they were expending, there was the added consideration of the sweltering conditions that this phase of the season is played in. But Milojevic is glad his side are facing so many tough challenges in a short space of time. He says it will help develop the type of mental strength required to add to the double they won last season and become repeat champions.

“The key thing is mental endurance,” Milojevic said. “That is the difference between being champions two, or three times in a row, to win three titles in five years, or to win occasionally.

“That is the difference. Mental endurance means, week in and week out, you are happy that you win but you just forget it and go again. It is tough. You are like balloons with air and balloons without air. Those are the things we have to learn.

“We have to go back to basics, go on the training ground, work on defensive things, respect the ball and respect our opponents. To blame one player is not right. If anyone wants to blame someone, they can blame me.”

The Al Ain loss was Al Wasl’s first of their title defence. After four matches they sit sixth in the 14-team UAE Pro League. They return to continental competition having taken three points from their opening game in the new-look Champions League, beating Pakhtakor in Uzbekistan two weeks ago.

For all the riches of their playing squad, Al Ahli have been in indifferent form themselves so far this season. They are seventh in the 18-team Saudi Pro League, having been beaten 1-0 by Al Qadsiah on Friday via a penalty by Pierre-Emerick Aubemeyang.

They also won their Champions League opener, when a Kessie goal gave them a win over Iranian side Persepolis. Milojevic is hoping his side can bounce straight back to winning ways.

“In football, there is no past,” the Al Wasl manager said. “You are only as good as your last game, and our last game was against Al Ain, so it looks like we were not good.

“It is the process of growing [the players’] minds and hopefully we can do it. We played against a great team. When you get to Al Ain you are in the hall and you see all the trophies.

“You cannot disrespect that. We are not taking anything from Al Ain and blaming ourselves. We played against a good opponent and we were not at our max, so it is a good chance against Al Ahli to bounce back. That is what good teams do.”