Khalid Essa, the Al Ain goalkeeper, said the Arabian Gulf League champions are not scared of any opponent and will go all out against Saudi club Al Shabab in Riyadh on Wednesday night.
With two matches to play, Al Ain are second in Group B with six points, one behind Naft Tehran, and a win on Wednesday night against the group’s bottom-placed team could take last year’s semi-finalist a step closer to the round of 16.
“It will not be easy, but we are looking forward to resolving matters regarding our qualification for the round of 16,” Essa said.
“Al Ain are not afraid of any football team and we know that if we play to our potential we can get the result we want no matter the name or size of our opponents.
“We want to win in Riyadh because it will reduce the pressure on us when we host Naft Tehran in our final game.”
Asian Champions League selected fixtures
Wednesday (in UAE time)
Naft Tehran v Pakhtakor, 6.30pm
Al Shabab (KSA) v Al Ain, 9.40pm
Tuesday, May 5
Al Ahli (UAE) v Tractor Sazi, 7.30pm
Nasaf v Al Ahli (KSA), 7.30pm
Wednesday, May 6
Al Ain v Naft Tehran, 7.30pm
Pakhtakor v Al Shabab (KSA), 7.30pm
arizvi@thenational.ae
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