Zlatko Dalic says Al Ain's chances of claiming a second Asian Champions League crown stand at "50/50" following last weekend's first-leg defeat to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
The Garden City side, the only UAE club to win the tournament, were beaten 2-1 by the South Koreans at a throbbing Jeonju World Cup Stadium on Saturday, despite initially leading 1-0 through Danilo Asprilla’s second-half goal.
Al Ain now host Jeonbuk at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium this Saturday, knowing a 1-0 victory will be enough to regain the title on away goals.
Champions in 2003, they are contesting their first final in 11 years having finished as runners-up to Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad in 2005.
More on the Asian Champions League final from John McAuley:
• Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors reportedly move to Abu Dhabi after complaining of Al Ain training facilities
• Al Ain still alive in Asian Champions League final despite Jeonbuk's slender advantage
• Asian Champions League final: Five lessons Al Ain must learn from first leg defeat
• Asian Champions League final: Zlatko Dalic 'convinced' Al Ain can overturn first leg deficit
• Ismail Ahmed: 'We still have the second half to play' of Asian Champions League final
Dalic understands the size of the challenge facing Al Ain, and called for Al Ain’s supporters to get behind the team in their quest for glory; the match is said to be nearly sold out. He also urged his side not to get carried away with the occasion as they attempt to see off Jeonbuk, themselves Asian champions, in 2006.
When asked how he rated Al Ain’s chances after the first leg, Dalic said: “I’d say 50/50. We have a chance, but it will be a tough, tough game. We will need to be very patient.
“I expect 25,000 Al Ain fans and all our country behind us, pushing like the Jeonbuk fans.
“They are a very, very strong team, a compact team. But it will be very different game at home. They can do everything by counter-attack, so we have to be very, very careful. We are in the final, it will always be a big team because it is two of the best teams in Asia.”
Dalic will be encouraged by the fact Al Ain created chances against Jeonbuk in the first leg and he remains confident his players will do so again. He also praised Ahmed Barman’s contribution in Jeonju, calling the young central midfielder “the future for Al Ain”.
However, Dalic was concerned with the lack of time he had to prepare his team in the build-up to the initial encounter. The UAE played a crucial World Cup qualifier against Iraq four days beforehand, meaning Dalic was without Omar Abdulrahman, Ismail Ahmed and Mohanad Salem – three key members of his starting line-up – for almost two weeks.
“It’s the same for all teams,” he said. “Because we played four games and then had a one-month stop, two games and another stop. It cannot work like this. Who works like this? We played two games in the league and then three weeks we stop. What do we do?
“It’s very bad for me and my team. I didn’t have any time with them. The players come from the national team and we cannot train about tactics.”
Asked then about the importance of this week in getting his players ready for the club’s most significant match in more than a decade, Dalic said: “For the Asian Champions League, five days is not enough. But what can I do?
“I have fought for 10 months like this, without my players. It is a tough job, a tough time. But I will do my best.”
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