Al Ahli know “they have to suffer” to fight their way to President’s Cup glory, according to midfielder Habib Fardan.

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The Red Knights face a quarter-final date at UAE Division 1 Group A outfit Dubai Club on Saturday night. This fixture comes in-between a two-legged AFC Champions League round-of-16 contest with Al Ain.

“We will recover quickly from the Al Ain game and concentrate on Dubai Club,” Fardan said. “At the end of the season, you have many games and it is hard. But anyone who wants to be a champion knows they have to suffer.”

Meanwhile, two sides high on confidence will fight for a semi-final spot when Al Shabab meet Bani Yas on Saturday night.

The hosts at Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium travel to Oman’s Al Seeb on Wednesday to contest the GCC Club Cup decider.

Their weekend’s opponents impressively saw off Al Wasl 3-1 in the previous round of the Cup and won three of their last four Arabian Gulf league games.

“Our game against Al Wasl gave the players a strong morale boost and was one of the most beautiful games we’ve played,” Sky Blues midfielder Joan Verdu said. “We want to continue at the same level.”

Sunday sees top-flight strugglers Al Dhafra host relegated Ajman, with the winners set to face either Ahli or Dubai Club in the last-four.