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Al Ahli v Al Ain Pre-Match Press Conferences

Al Ahli head coach Quique Flores is blessed with multiple attacking options for his second-placed side’s rescheduled Etisalat Pro League Round 14 match against Al Ain on Saturday. Speaking at his pre-match press conference, the Spaniard highlighted the fact that he has five or six offensive players competing for places in the starting line-up, which can only be a positive thing for the team as they come up against the League leaders at the Rashid Stadium. “Al Ain is one of the best teams in the League, so we have to give our absolute best in order to get a result,” Flores said. Looking back to Al Ahli’s extraordinary 6-3 win over Al Ain on the opening day of the season, Flores is quite certain that things have changed since then: “Al Ain today is not the same Al Ain as we faced at the start of the season. There has been a big time elapse since that match and things are very different now,” he said. Flores also confirmed that the only absentee from his team on Saturday will be Tariq Ahmed, who serves a one-match suspension for picking up his third booking.

 

Olaroiu Cosmin and his Al Ain side face a quick turnaround following their midweek AFC Champions League win, and the Romanian confirmed at his pre-match press conference that he has not yet settled on a starting lineup for the Etisalat Pro League game on Saturday. “We have very little time for preparation and the most important thing for the 48 hours preceding the game is rehabilitation and treatment for the players; not training,” he explained. “We are facing a very organised team in Al Ahli, with many strong players – both local and foreign – and they are lead by a good coach who has got them into 2nd place now, so it will be a tough game.” Much has been made of the recent absence of top scorer Asamoah Gyan through injury, but Cosmin was keen to praise Australian striker Alex Brosque, who has assumed scoring duties in his place: “Alex Brosque has been outstanding in the last two games. We have many good players who are capable of making the difference in matches; not just one or two.”