(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Al Ain FC, yet another Capital club, are in the fray for the AFC Champions League glory. Al Ain, the biggest ACL achievers from the UAE, will go up against Saudi powerhouse Al Hilal in group D encounter at King Saud University Stadium on Tuesday.
The 'Boss' from Al Ain will miss the services of talisman Omar Abdulrahman. However, coach Zoran Mamic got in his ranks the likes of Markus Berg and Ahmed Khalil. Also, Hussein El Shahat, the X-factor, is in prime form with plenty of goals in the Arabian Gulf League.
And the Egyptian said the players are high on confidence about grabbing a positive result against Al Hilal. "It will be a difficult match for both the teams but our confidence remains high and we hope to return with three points from Riyadh," El Shahat said ahead of the clash.
He said no Al Ain player needs any particular motivation as they know the task ahead and their duties to realise the ultimate goals.
"I enter all matches with my team as it's a final. Whatever be the competition, I work to raise my focus and put my best effort to realise the ambitions of the team. All the games are extremely important for me whether at the local level or continental level. Ever since I wore an Al Ain shirt, there is no limit to my ambition as this is a great team with motto to win all challenges."
Meanwhile, defender Ahmad Ismail noted the match will be like 'an open book' as both teams knew each other's strengths and weaknesses. "Both teams know each other in terms of potentials. There are no secrets despite the recent changes in players in both teams."
Both sides have met record 14 times in the ACL platform with the last one being in September 2017 quarterfinals when Al Hilal won 3-0. However, Ahmad said group stage matches will have a different intensity.
"Al Ain and Al Hilal matches have their own peculiarities. However, group stage is not like quarterfinals and circumstances of the match are entirely different from our last encounter against Al Hilal. I expect both teams will play without any pressure," he said.
Meanwhile, the team update from Saudi 'Boss' suggest midfielder Salman Al Faraj, left back Hassan Kadesh and Nawaf Al Abed are likely to miss the clash due to injury. It's the clash of 'Bosses' from the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and it will surely be a top Group D contest.
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