The Boss take on Al Fujairah for the second time in ten days

Al Ain’s Jires Kembo-Ekoko vies for ball possession with Saudi Arabia’s Al Shabab players during the AFC Champions League at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain on Tuesday. — KT photo By Nezar Balout

Al Ain — Al Ain could have been sitting on a lead with a game still in the bag. And they could have gone into this rearranged fixture to add cushion to that and perch themselves even more comfortably.

‘The Boss’ can still be League leaders but prospects of widening that gap at the top have significantly reduced when they take on Al Fujairah for the second time in 10 days in a rearranged Arabian Gulf League fixture at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain on Saturday.

The Garden City club’s sojourn in the AFC Champions League last season meant that this fixture, originally to have been played last September, was shifted to a later date.

Al Ain would be ruing their solitary goal loss to Al Fujairah last weekend as joint leaders Al Jazira too slipped up, to Al Dhafra. It was Al Ain’s first defeat in five months.

It may yet come back to haunt them but Al Ain will have to put that behind when they meet Al Fujairah again. There is cause for optimism though as they had relegated Saudi Arabia’s Al Shabab in their Group B opener in the AFC Champions League, earlier in the week.

But whether they can translate that showing on the domestic front, remains to be seen. A particular worry for coach Zlatko Dalic would be the goal drought over two matches despite possessing the quality attack that they have.

Apart from that reverse to Al Fujairah, Al Ain couldn’t breach Al Shabab though they conjured a bucketful of opportunities. Al Ain will desperately be trying to find their mojo.

“We have had many games in such a short period and luck also deserted us the last time we played Al Fujairah. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to score in our previous two games. So, our priority would be to correct that,” Dalic said on the eve of match as the team trained at the Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium.

“It was strange to see that we weren’t able to score any goals in both the games. But what happened is the past and we cannot control that. We have to look ahead and try and control what we can control. We must work hard on our scoring capabilities,” he added. Dalic was also confident that his ace marksman Asamoah Gyan will come good. The Ghanian, who was away for the African Cup of Nations, missed a flurry of chances against Al Shabab.

“Gyan did not train with the team for a long period because of the African Cup of Nations. He probably needed more time with the team. But I’m hopeful that he will regain his level quickly,” said the Croatian.

Veteran midfielder Ibrahim Diaky will miss the game through suspension, while Dalic might prefer not to rush Omar Abdulrahman, who only began training last Saturday.

“Of course, we need Omar Abdulrahman.  But then, we don’t want to rush him until he is back to full fitness. We also have a AFC Champions League fixture coming up,” said Dalic.