Olaroiu targets three points against Lokomotive today
dubai — Only a point is enough for Al Ahli but their Romanian coach Cosmin Olaroiu is targeting full three points when they host Uzbekistan’s Lokomotive in their last Group A match in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday on their home turf.
“It is simple, not so complicated, our target is to win three points,” Olaroiu said during a media interaction on Monday at the club premises. Al Ahli had suffered a 2-0 loss in Tashkent last February and the two teams are separated by only three points. Thus, a defeat on Tuesday for the home team would propel Lokomotiv to the top as the Uzbek team boast the better head-to-head record. However, if all four teams end up on eight points – a possibility should Al Taawoun defeat Esteghlal in Tuesday’s simultaneous Group A clash – goal difference, and not head-to-head records, would decide who advances to the knockout rounds.
Al Ahli, who are without suspended top scorer Makhete Diop, have played out two draws in the Arabian Gulf League since last appearing on the continent, while Uzbek League leaders Lokomotiv have claimed four points from six domestically.
Talking to media, Olaroiu said that the situation for Al Ahli was different from the one when they played the AFC Champions League final in 2015. “When we qualified last time we had the full squad,” the Romanian coach pointed out. “The situation this time is different,” he added.
Olaroiu has injury worries and they are coming into this crunch match with a packed AGL schedule. However, he has promised a full throttle performance and not to repeat mistakes that caused them their only group defeat to Lokomotive.
“We don’t have to make the same mistakes that we made in the first leg, we don’t have to run behind them like last time,” he hoped.
“During games in the group stage we were good except the match against Locomotive,” he said, adding that the team deserved to qualify. “Football, however, is not like this and (everything) depends on game tomorrow,” he remarked.
“We are not in the best situation but we will try and we hope to qualify, these players deserve it.”
Elsewhere in Iran, the newly crowned AGL champions, Al Jazira, who are out of the race in the AFC Champions League, take on Esteghlal Khouzestan. The tournament debutants from Iran need a point to qualify for the last 16 from Group B.