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Cosmin: Al Dhafra an organised outfit with high quality players

 

Al Ain's Romanian coach Olaroiu Cosmin prepared his players for their away game at Al Dhafra with a training session attended by the Club's Chairman, Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan. Cosmin admitted that preparation for Thursday evening's game has been difficult to balance, due to the President's Cup quarter final played earlier in the week, with it being important for the players to complete their proper recovery exercises after that match.

Speaking at a press conference at the Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, Cosmin assessed his side's opponents. "Al Dhafra are a very orderly and organised side defensively, with a strong fighting spirit. They close down quickly and don't allow you space or time on the ball. They have quality local and international players, including Rodrigo and Amara Diane in attack, so it will be a very difficult game."

Following his return from international duty with Ghana at the African Cup of Nations, Cosmin held a meeting with top scorer Asamoah Gyan to discuss his physical and mental readiness to return to Club action after the tournament in South Africa. "Gyan is a strong player and he is very comfortable when he is here playing with Al Ain," noted Cosmin. "The way his Black Stars team played in the African Cup of Nations tournament probably did not help him perform to his best abilities."

Cosmin was unable to confirm whether defender Ismail Ahmed would be fit for Thursday's game, after picking up a knock in the earlier President's Cup match, but the Al Ain boss was keen to point out that he has more than one defensive option available for selection.