Mamic stresses squad readiness to clinch points of Zob Ahan game
Al Ain FC coach Zoran Mamic has stressed his squad’s readiness to snatch the three points of the first round of the of the AFC Champions League’s group stage against Iran’s Zob Ahan.
“We are totally aware that the good start is very important in the strongest Asian tournament”, the Croatian coach said, pointing out that the Iranian team has a strong group of players.
The aspirations of Zob Ahan to qualify from Group C are totally respected, however, we will be keen on using the best methods to get the team ready for the game by making players more focused and desirous to win and rack up points, Mamic said, expressing his confidence that Al Zaeem players will play an astonishing game and win the points.
The coach of Al Ain, the only UAE club to win the Champions League, said that he knows the Iranian rivals very well thanks to watching their latest games as well as the quarter-final games against Al Ain last year.
Now, I have sufficient information to set up the game plan in the face of Zob Ahan, Mamic said.
Commenting on the injuries of the front and back lines players, Mamic said “I think that Al Ain has good options and all should show their best and be more concentrated throughout the 90 minutes.”
The coach said he is aware of the all players’ capabilities, stressing his satisfaction of the chosen players’ performance and calling for a team performance on the field.
We need to rack up all the 18 points of this stage, the coach said to answer a question about the number of pints the Garden City Club need to qualify to the next stage.
“We have a problem with the long term injured players; the newest one being Amer. He will not be in this game. Asprilla will not participate in the game tonight but he will be back soon,” revealed Mamic adding it was not a question of one striker or two strikers that he was focused on, but what he wants is a strong performance.
“For me, it’s important how the team play on the field. If we can play, how we play and the quality that we have, then the numbers are not important,” said Mamic — who also urged Al Ain fans to turn up in large numbers.
“I can promise that the team is ready and the team will give a good performance,” he said, pointing out that the team needs support because “players without fans are not players and they need the support.”
