Zlatko vows to beat the odds and win over Sharjah
Zlatko Dalić, the Croatian coach of Al Ain, said that his squad must cope with the absence of some key players if they need to snatch three points when they encounter Sharjah at HBZ Stadium next Saturday at Round 12 of the Arabian Gulf League.
“We’re embarking on a new challenge in the AGL competition; already aware the game against Sharjah won’t be easy. There are many players who will be absent, but we have to do whatever it takes to get the full three points”, Zlatko told reporters in the pre-match press conference.
“We’ll be playing against a tough team that used to show excellent performance against us. That’s why we must be completely ready, follow our unique play style, and be patient enough to seize all the chances to score”, he added.
Zlatko pointed out that even though Sharjah might not be well-placed on the leaderboard, but managed to defeat Al Ain (3-2) last year, making clear that all teams seek to play their best when they encounter Al Ain.
“I’m proud that my team represents a challenge to all. But that makes wonder, why wouldn’t they show such a spirit against other teams?” he went on, “I do respect our rivals. Sharjah has many talented and skilled players such as Adrian and Rivas. Even though they lost 0-1 to Al Ahli in the last round and wasted a penalty kick, we have to be extremely cautious in order to win”.
Zlatko will decide on whether or not to engage the injured players such as Mohamed Ahmed, Mohamed Fayez, Saeed Al Menhali and Douglas Dyanfres ahead of the game. As for the team’s defender Ismail Ahmed, he will be watching from the bench after receiving the red card in the previous match against Al Wahda.
Al Menhali has recently delivered a good-level performance and secured his place in the lineup. Unfortunately, he has sustained an injury and will be missed for a while.
Zlatko questioned the validity of the decision taken to suspend Al Ain’s defender Ismail Ahmed for two games. “So far in this season, it’s the third time that one of my men is suspended for no reason. Omar Abdurrahman and Caio Lucas have been suspended earlier this season, and now Ismail Ahmed”.
“I constantly urge my players to follow ‘Fair Play’ technique. In fact, I’m shocked to have 3 of my men suspended for no good reason”, he wondered, saying he will decide on the perfect substitute during the final training session before the match. In the match held against Dibba Al Fujairah in AGC competition, Zlatko engaged a number of young players who did their job perfectly.
The Croatian Coach expressed happiness to have Amer Abdurrahman fully recovered after an injury he had sustained earlier. “He did well in the previous game; our midfielders are just perfect. The final training session ahead of the encounter against Sharjah will decide it all”.
“Five players will be missed then; the situation will be more complicating and challenging than ever”, he commented.
“We’re playing many challenging matches this month against Al-Ahli in Round 16 of President’s Cup and AGL as well. We need to improve our performance and contract with new players if we want to win the competition”, he said, highly appreciating the unlimited support provided by the loyal fans in the ‘clasico’ held last week against Al Wahda at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
“I’d like to thank Al Ain fans for everything, and hope they carry on boosting the players’ morale next Saturday. As for us, we can only promise to win”, he concluded.
