Zlatko proud of his men and fears no team
Zlatko Dalić, Al Ain FC Croatian coach, stressed on the importance of gaining 3 points at the AGL home game versus Al Shabab, which will be held today evening at HBZ Stadium, to compensate their unexpected 2 point-loss resulting from their 2-2 draw with Dibba 3 days ago.
“Al Shabab is a good team with excellent players and hasn’t suffered any loss in the AGL competition, therefore our match won’t be easy” he said.
Zlatko pointed out that some of his men will not be on today’s starting list; and these are Captain Omar Abdurrahman after being banned with a red card in his last match versus at Dibba; their keeper Khalid Issa as he still suffering an injury; while Mohamed Fayez and Ibrahim Diaky will be tested at the final training session to see if they have completely recovered from their injuries.
He mentioned that Amouri’s suspension is a good break for him, “He needs a time to catch his breath; he’s been playing a match each four or five days over the past 2 months.”
Zlatko believed that the referee’s decision to send Omar off was unjust; “Without offending anyone and not to defend Omar, referees must keep in mind that some playmakers like Omar are targeted in person; therefore, they should be protected by the referees,” he confirmed.
“As a result of such decisions, “we missed Caio Lucas last match and will miss Omar today. We understand that referees may make mistakes from time to time but not for two matches in a row. However, we’ll play today to win the match whether or not Omar is on the starting list.”
The Croatian Coach answered a question around Tomás, Al Shabab’s player, being in the field today after missing his team’s last game versus Al Ahli FC, I see no reason at all to worry if Tomas will be playing or not, because he trusts his men’s capabilities and he prepares them properly to win each match taking in consideration his rivals’ capabilities.
“I’m very proud of my squad; they never worry to take on any team in the world. All our rivals consider that they take a challenge when they encounter Al Ain FC; we saw how Baniyas and Dibba were incited when they were playing against us. It’s a great feeling; it makes me proud of my team,” he elaborated.
Valuing Amouri’s exceptional attributes, Zlatko said that they have to win the game today with or without him especially that Al Ain boast good players who have to prove themselves.
“Of course, we need the efforts of each one of our players because we’re competing in more than one championship without a cap on our ambitions. That’s why I gave Bandar Al Ahbabi, Saeed Al Katheeri and Khalid Abdurrahman the chance to play last match in order to prepare them for our coming local and continental matches.” he concluded.
