Al Ahli coach Cosmin Olaroiu is banking on home comforts to help his side continue their impressive run in the Asian Champions League.

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A 1-1 draw in the first leg of their semi-final against Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal has given the Red Knights a great opportunity to reach a final against either Guangzhou Evergrande or Gamba Osaka.

The Red Knights, who had never previously been beyond the group stages, led through Lima’s opener on Tuesday night before seeing the hosts miss a penalty and then equalise through Ailton’s late header.

However, Ahli’s vital away goal makes them favourites to progress and Olaroiu hopes being back at the Rashid Stadium for the second leg in three weeks time will prove crucial.

“We will not go into the second leg thinking of a draw because we could lose, especially because we are playing against a strong team like Al Hilal,” said the Romanian.

“We knew the match would not be easy and Al Hilal are a big team and we struggled to control all of the proceedings.

“The result is positive, but it is not enough to qualify as we must start working and preparing for the second leg. We hope that we can take advantage of playing the second match at home in order to qualify to the final.”

His opposite number, Al Hilal coach Georgios Donis, lamented a disappointing first half performance and Carlos Eduardo’s missed penalty.

“We had a bad performance in the first half and this was the first match in months that we struggled to build our attacks,” said the Greek coach.

“We struggled in the first half and we made several wrong decisions. Things improved in the second period despite conceding a goal while we missed several chances including the penalty which was a clear chance.”

Despite the club’s recent performances – Al Hilal have also won their opening two games in the Saudi league – Donis continues to be questioned over his tactical approach.

“Our formation is 3-5-2 and this is the way we play. I believe this formation is good for us,” he said.