Al Ain head into Tuesday night’s crucial AFC Champions League quarter-final opener against Lokomotiv Tashkent with several concerns.
Here are five things to look out for during the clash.
FAIL TO PREPARE, PREPARE TO FAIL
It is difficult to see how Al Ain could have suffered a worse preparation for this tie. As well as being denied adequate time with their UAE stars like Omar Abdulrahman (above), their own camp in Austria was a disaster with two matches hampered by weather. Will Lokomotiv’s greater sharpness tell?
NEW BOYS NEED TO SHINE
The 2015/16 Boss side will not go down as a vintage selection. Improvements were required and the club acted swiftly to do this. Brazilian winger Caio (above) is AFC Champions League-proven and centre midfielder Amer Abdulrahman knows his new team-mates so well from UAE duty. They now need to gel quickly.
CAN ANYONE STOP LOKOMOTIV?
Lokomotiv look like genuine dark horses for the 2016 ACL. The knockout-stage debutants boasted nearly a third of the most-recent Uzbekistan squad, are midway through a dominant 2016 domestic campaign and have lost just one of their last 31 games. Al Ain will need to be at their best, no matter their fitful preparations..
AMER’S BACK IN THE BIG TIME
It is fair to say that Amer Abdulrahman had gone stale at Bani Yas, even considering his knee problems. The star who shone in the 2012 ACL and gained a trial with Blackburn Rovers in July 2013 has looked a pale imitation for the last two seasons. He will hope to come alive at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, starting with tonight’s game.
DEFENCE VERSUS ATTACK
A chess match should play out at the Hazza this evening. Al Ain’s team is loaded with attackers such as 18-goal striker Douglas and flying winger Danilo Asprilla. In contrast, Lokomotiv come into this game having scored eight and conceded four in eight 2016 ACL games. Something has to give.