AL AHLI TAKE ON AL HILAL
AGL champions aiming to keep their unbeaten run; Al Ain to meet Lekhwiya
dubai — For Al Ahli’s Romanian coach Cosmin Olariou, the toughest challenge is still to come and their home clash against Al Hilal today is very crucial for their continental campaign.
Speaking to newsmen at the clubhouse on Monday, Cosmin said: “I’m always under pressure because the club’s management has recruited me and my staff to claim winners and not otherwise,” he said.
Al Ahli who have recently lifted the inaugural edition of the rebranded Arabian Gulf League and their sixth national league’s silverware are dreaming big and the AFC Champions League title is crucial for their future success.
“I always think of what I need to win. I never imagine building a team that has no pressure to win. Pressure is part of my life and when you are in front you have to accept pressure,” Cosmin added.
“In your life, you have to make and take decisions. And winning the third league shows that I took the right decision.
Al Ahli are showing the way in Group-D with six points from four starts. Unbeaten in their all outings, Al Ahli have claimed their only victory away from their headquarters while having drawn their two home clashes. After holding hosts Al Hilal to a 2-2 draw at the King Fahad Stadium in the Saudi capital Riyadh in the opener, the Red Knights went on to beat Sepahan 2-1 at the Foolad Shahr Stadium in Esfahan. Later, Al Ahli again drew their second home clash against Qatar’s Al Sadd and played to a goalless draw against Sepahan at the Rashid Stadium last time out.
Under fire Al Hilal’s coach Sami Al Jaber is still optimistic about the chances of his side to bounce back from their home defeat at the hands of city rivals Al Nasr though he admitted that playing against Al Ahli in Dubai is not going to be easy task at all.
“it’s a difficult game. The group is tough and all teams have equal chances to qualify for the knockout stage. You cannot predict results. We have a few absences, but I have confidence in the players that are here.
“There is no comparison between the local competitions and the AFC Champions League. If we look at Al Ahli, they have recently won the national league. But they are not sure of progressing to the next round. So there is a big gap between the local leagues in the region and the AFC Champions League,” he said.
“Our top striker Yasser Qahtani besides Nasser Al Shamrani and Thiago are the most prominent absentees. But, still I have full confidence in the first eleven and the substitutes. Really I don’t feel there is any absence, and I am not just saying this as a coach to raise the morale of the players. I have really good players who will fight for the team. I am not here to talk about the players who are not taking part. I am here to talk about players who will carry the clubs hopes. We were in a very difficult situation, but our victory over Al Sadd gave us some relief. We need to reproduce the same form and that is something we need to work on,” he concluded.
Al Hilal have won the trophy in 2002. Since that time, Al Hilal is winning most of the local competitions, but they have never claimed their second ACL title. And it seems that both Al Ahli and Al Hilal are in with a chance to make their mark in the current version of the continental championship.
Elsewhere, Group-C leaders Al Ain renew rivalry against Qatar’s Lekhwiya in the fourth round of the competition at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar. Al Ain have won the home encounter 2-1 and need to repeat or at least draw their away tie to improve their chances in one of the two spots reserved for the group in the last 16. The match is equally important for the Lekhwiya aho are currently at the bottom of the table with four points and only a win could boost their chances to qualify for the second stage of the competition.