Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Dubai: Al Ahli will approach Saturday’s AFC Champions League final first leg against five-time Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande in an “organised and very intelligent” way, according to coach Cosmin Olaroiu.
The 2014 Arabian Gulf League winners welcome Guangzhou to Dubai having made the perfect start to the new domestic season in the United Arab Emirates with five wins from five games extending their unbeaten streak to 18 games in all competitions.
But with the second leg taking place in Guangzhou in two weeks’ time, Al Ahli know the match at Rashid Stadium represents only the halfway mark of their bid to follow in the footsteps of compatriots Al Ain who lifted the inaugural AFC Champions League crown in 2003 before finishing runners-up in 2005.
“We have arrived at the last step for the trophy. We are going to face a strong team and one in my opinion who could compete with any team in Europe. They are a very balanced powerful team. Now we have prepared for this game in the best way possible,” said Olaroiu (pictured).
“We know it will be difficult and we have a chance to try and get the maximum we can out of this game. It is important to win and take a step towards the second game, but we have to do this in a clever way and we have to be organised and very intelligent in the way we have to play.
“We respect them as they are strong, but nobody is perfect and they have weak points and we have to find these.”
Knockout stage debutants Al Ahli, who failed to progress beyond the group stage on four previous occasions, have already beaten compatriots Al Ain, Iran’s Naft Tehran and most recently Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal to reach the final having finished second in their group earlier this year.
But their quarter-final win over Naft and semi-final success over Al Hilal both arrived following home wins in the second leg, while the Round of 16 triumph was secured following a 3-3 draw away from home in nearby Al Ain.
“I am happy we are in the final, not matter if the home game is first or second,” added Romanian Olaroiu.
“We had good results in the away games against Al Ain, Al Hilal and Naft, so this is not important.
“It is very important not to concede in the home game, this is the easy way to qualify. In this kind of competition, at this level, it is difficult not to concede, but I am happy we were able to score more goals than the opponent to qualify in the previous games.”
Al Ahli striker Lima has scored in each of his four AFC Champions League appearances since arriving in the summer from Portugal’s Benfica, with the Brazilian finding the net 14 times in 12 appearances in all competitions so far for Olaroiu’s side.
“We know this is an important game not just for the club but also for the country. I am very happy for this opportunity to play in this game,” said Lima.
“We trust our coach and the work we are doing and that is why we have this confidence in what we are doing.”
Photo: WSG