Zlatko Dalic, the Al Ain coach, has been boosted by the return to fitness of his star player Omar Abdulrahman as his side face Naft Tehran in Iran in the Asian Champions League (ACL).
Abdulrahman came on as a second-half substitute in Saturday’s 3-0 home win over Fujairah in the Arabian Gulf League — his first action since he injured his knee against Al Shabab at the start of February.
Dalic said he was wary of Naft after seeing their form in the Iranian league.
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“Any team that has leapfrogged Esteghlal, Sepahan and Foolad in the Iran Pro League is definitely a strong team, and in the Champions League there aren’t any weak teams,” he said.
“We are expecting a difficult game, but we are here to play good football and get a result. Even a draw would be good for us. Both teams are trying to make up for the previous game’s results, and I have faith in my team. We’ve had good training sessions and we had the good news about the return of Omar Abdulrahman to the squad, so we’re looking to get a good result.”
Al Ain, who reached the semi-finals of the ACL last season, are looking for their first win of the tournament, having been held to a 0-0 draw at home by Saudi Arabia’s Al Shabab in their opening match last week.
Shabab host Uzbek champions Pakhtakor, who beat Naft 2-1 in their first game.
Naft coach Alireza Mansourian sounded a positive note ahead of tonight’s match.
“We know what we want from the match, and my players are ready to take all three points,” he said. “Both teams have analysed each other, but we have worked hard during the last 15 days just for this match because we know Al Ain is one of the best teams in Asia.
“The club’s officials have counted on us in the Champions League, so we will send Al Ain home empty-handed.”
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