Al Ain eye a top-of-the group finish

Omar Abdul Rahman of Al Ain tries to penetrate through El Jaish defenders during the semi-finals of the AFC Champions.

Abu Dhabi: Al Ain, having already sealed a place in the Round of 16 of the AFC Champions League, have an opportunity to top Group C if they beat the already eliminated Uzbek side Bunyodkor at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium today. Kick-off is at 7.40pm.

Al Ain booked the spot in the last 16 after they shocked Iran’s Zob Ahan 3-0 in the latter’s own den. The result completely changed the complexion of the standings with Al Ain moving to the top and the battle for qualifying for the remaining slot wide open.

With that loss, Zob Ahan now face a must-win against second-placed Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia to progress. Al Ahli need a point to advance and still can top the group should Al Ain falter against Bunyodkor.

Al Ain cannot take their opponents Bunyodkor lightly, especially after seeing what they did to Al Ahli two weeks ago. The 2-0 win over the Saudi outfit was their first win in 19 matches in the continental showpiece but it showed their capability of being a spoiler, having nothing to lose.

Al Ain comes to this ACL fixture following their come from behind victory over Sharjah 4-2 in round 25 of the Arabian Gulf League where they are currently placed fourth.

“We are coming to our last match of our group and it is a good thing that we passed into the next stage. We want to take the three points for sure with the win. Bunyodkor are a good team as they beat Al Ahli of Saudi,” said Al Ain coach Zoran Mamic, adding he wasn’t bothered about whom they were playing in the next round and the focus was on his team’s own performance.

“We don’t want to see what happening in other group. We want to concentrate on our game and not think too much ahead,” said Mamic adding that he might give his young players on the bench a chance if he could in the last outing.

Al Ain has been more effective in the recent times while playing away from home, but Mamic brushed aside that it was a worry.

“I don’t agree that we haven’t played well at home. We may have not managed wins but I feel we played the best match against Zob Ahan and Al Ahli at home. Something like this can happen and I don’t see we have a problem at home. Sometimes, we don’t win despite playing our best and that’s football,” revealed the Croatian.

The other UAE challenge of the day is on cards at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran where Al Wahda play Persepolis in the Group D fixture.

Both teams are looking for a place in the Round of 16 as the second team from the group. However, either sides, not only have to win but also hope that Qatar’s Al Rayyan beat Al Hilal of Saudi, who have already qualified for the next stage.

All Al Wahda needs to do is draw inspiration from their last match. After one draw and three defeats from their opening four games, Al Wahda registered a stunning 5-1 win over Al Rayyan to give themselves an outside chance of qualifying. Al Wahda will have the service of Mohammad Abdulbasit, who comes into the match after serving a suspension.

Meanwhile, Persepolis, after showing a lot of promise at the start, have lost a bit of a sheen since they clinched the Iranian Pro League in mid-April. In the last three matches, they managed just two points from a possible nine. However, in the crucial tie they will have the services of their captain Jalal Hosseini and Soroush Rafieitelgary – both back after serving suspension.

“We have come to Tehran with the intent of winning this game and it will not change whatever the outcome of the other game,” said Al Wahda coach Javier Aguirre adding that the last result was a confidence booster.

Group C

Team MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

Al Ain 5 2 3 0 11 7 4 9

Al Ahli 5 2 2 1 8 7 1 8

Zob Ahan 5 2 1 2 6 7 -1 7

Bunyodkor 5 1 0 4 5 9 -4 3

Group D

Team MP W D L GF GA GD PTS

AlHilal 5 2 3 0 6 4 2 9

Al Rayyan 5 2 1 2 7 9 -2 7

Persepolis 5 1 3 1 5 6 -1 6

Al Wahda 5 1 1 3 10 9 1 4

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