Zlatko Dalic to rely on his bench again

Al Ain coach Zlatko dalic is optimistic despite the absence of seven regular players in the tie against Al Shabab.

 Al Ain have to contend with the absence of their first team players for a second time in a week when they contest the second round of the Arabian Gulf Cup. 'The Boss' are at home to Al Shabab at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Friday night and will be without seven players who are on international duty with the UAE.
The Garden City club were also missing 12 first team and Olympic team players when they faced Al Jazira in the Capital Derby at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, in the same competition, a week ago.
The Abdulrahman brothers Omar and Mohammed, goalkeeper Khalid Essa, defenders Ismail Ahmed, Mohanad Salem, Mohamed Ahmed and Mohammed Fawzi are away because of international call-ups, while Mohammed Fayez is out injured.
They will also be without striker Emmanuel Emenike, who is also on international duty with Nigeria. And Al Ain coach Zlatko Dalic said he will have to rely on his bench strength and his younger players to get the job done.
"We will again be without a large number of our first team players because of international duty and it is again a chance for the younger players to show their abilities. But we will work to show the best we have and try and get a positive result despite these absence," Dalic said, ahead of the game.
Al Ain had rallied from a two-goal deficit to hold Al Jazira in the first round of the Arabian Gulf Cup. And Dalic was pleased with the fighting spirit shown by his team despite being two goals down.
"The team showed tremendous fighting spirit in the game against Al Jazira and it was a fair result. It showed that they can challenge despite not being at full strength," said the Croatian. He also revealed that they weren't taking the competition lightly and were keen on winning on all fronts.
"The Arabian Gulf Cup is held during the Fifa days and we have to use our bench strength and our younger players in these fixtures. But it doesn't mean that we don't value it. We are keen on winning all competitions," he said.
Meanwhile, Al Shabab, who had beaten promoted Dibba Al Fujairah 3-2 in the first round, will be missing Hassan Ibrahim and Mohammed Ayed, who are with the UAE squad, while Azizbek Haydarov is away with Uzbekistan. Mohammed Marzooq and Rashid Hassan are injured, while Carlos Villanueva is doubtful.