Al Ain have the strength in depth to allay any fears about the absence of star duo Asamoah Gyan and Omar Abdulrahman for tonight’s Arabian Gulf League clash with Emirates Club, according to coach Zlatko Dalic.

UAE playmaker Abdulrahman, 23, returned yesterday after receiving treatment in Barcelona for a knee problem first picked up in last month’s 4-0 victory at Ajman.

Leading striker Gyan, 28, was hurt in the dying minutes of Friday’s 3-1 win against Al Dhafra after colliding with goalkeeper Abdulla Sultan. Both will miss tonight’s match at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.

“I know that having Omar Abdulrahman and Asamoah Gyan out injured raises some concerns, but Al Ain has a strong squad of over 20 players and I have full faith in all positions,” Dalic said.

Meanwhile, Al Shabab boss Caio Junior is confident his side can return to winning ways against Sharjah following successive defeats.

“We are still in a good position,” the Brazilian said. “We won our first three games and having nine points from our opening five fixtures is a good return, plus we still have a game in hand.”

The night’s other fixture is the basement clash between Fujairah and manager-less Ittihad Kalba, who hope ex-Algeria coach Abdelhak Benchikha will sign a contract until the end of the season before kick-off.

Kalba, who have picked up just one point from six games upon their top-flight return, dispensed with Brazilian Vinicius Eutropio following Saturday’s damaging 3-2 defeat to fellow strugglers Ajman.

They have entered the final stages of negotiations with Benchikha, who was sacked by Moroccan giants Raja Casablanca last month.

“Inshallah, everything will be agreed and signed with Abdelhak tomorrow,” vice-chairman Mohamed Al Yamahi said last night.