Al Ain host Iran’s Zobahan at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Wednesday in the first leg of their last-16 Asian Champions League tie. Manager Zlatko Dalic spoke to the media pre-match.
Knockout specialists
Al Ain, the 2003 champions and still the only UAE side to win the continental competition, are contesting the knockout stages for the third successive year. In 2014, they went as far as the semi-finals. Having finished second in Group D, secured despite losing their first two matches, they now take on Zobahan, who topped Group B. The return leg is in Isfahan on May 25.
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On key to winning
“I expect a really tough game,” Dalic said. “They are sixth in their league, but this is a new challenge, a new competition. However, if my team plays our style, if they play how we want and how we prepared, then I’m not afraid. We have been in more difficult situations before in the group game against Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli: we played that match after two defeats to El Jaish and the players showed character and a strong mentality to come back in the Champions League.”
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On striking a balance
“It is important for us to try and score an early goal,” Dalic said. “But also the most important point will be a clean sheet. We have the next game in Iran, but we want to win and pass to the quarter-finals. We must not make any mistakes and keep concentration, keep compact. Together with our fans, we can go through. Our opponent runs a lot of running, are very, very disciplined and very compact. We have to be patient, patient, patient.”
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On controlling the game
“First, my message to my team is don’t be careless with the ball, because if you lose the ball easily it will be a problem for us: they can score from a counter-attack,” Dalic said.
“It’s a big, big challenge for us and we will play a complete game, but still respect our opponent. We’ll play our style and hopefully we’ll win. I want to invite our fans to come to stadium tomorrow. It’s the last game in at home this season, we really need their support.”
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