Zlatko: We shifted attention to encountering Al Nasr
Al Ain’s Croatian coach, Zlatko Dalić, said that his team had temporarily turned the page of the AFC Champions League competition after qualifying for the finals, and is now focusing on the AGL competition; “Our next encounter against Al-Nasr will be a challenge after my men were exhausted by the AFC second-leg against Qatar’s El Jaish in Doha,” he said.
“We will play our own style,” he continued “which will enable us to snatch three points from a tough team who, even though they lost the last two matches to Al Ahli and Al Wasl, they are still powerful competitors for the AGL title. The game will be a challenge for both teams.”
Zlatko hoped his team would receive strong support as usual form the fans who were always a key driver behind all wins.
Zlatko refused to link between the qualification for the AFC finals and the likeliness to win Al Nasr because both tournaments are different. “If we need to win, we have to show the same fighting spirit as we did against El Jaish and we must not waste any point,” he commented.
Zlatko underlined the importance of having the players 100% ready in spite of the strenuous efforts exerted against El Jaish; he reiterated his absolute faith in his players’ abilities to fulfill the desired objectives both in the local and Asian tournaments.
Asked about possible absences, Zlatko said that “We’ll check each player’s readiness in order to choose the perfect lineup for the next game. Some players, however, might be missing due to the fatigue they have had in the last match against El-Jaish.”
He concluded by reminding that the newly-joined player Bandar Al Ahbabi was one of the efficient candidates he recommended to engage at the end of summer transfer window; “We needed one or more players in the back line, but we weren’t lucky enough to have them on loan from their clubs.”
