Al Ahli on threshold of re-writing history

Abu Dhabi - Red Knights and Evergrande clash to decide title

 This is it. After 12 matches, it all comes down to this one, the final fixture.
And Dubai's Al Ahli, having negotiated their way through those 12 games quite adroitly, stand on the threshold of re-writing history when they square off against Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande.
The two sides meet in the AFC Champions League final return leg at the Tianhe Sport Centre Stadium in the south Chinese city of Guangzhou, with the chance to become the champions of Asia.
And Al Ahli coach Cosmin Olaroiu urged his men to go out there and give it their all and make sure there were no regrets.
UAE football has had a few highlights, most notably qualification for the World Cup in 1990, as well as stellar showings at the Gulf Cup of Nations and the GCC Club Championships. But now, a UAE club are on the brink of carving their own slice of history and adding to that list of achievements.
It speaks volumes of how UAE football has grown since it turned professional in 2008. "This is a unique moment in life and nobody knows when the next chance will be to make a final like this," said Olaroiu.
If they prevail on Saturday, the Red Knights will end a 12-year wait for the UAE after Al Ain had won the inaugural edition in 2003. "We have all the motivation in the world and we will do our best. We want to have no regrets in the future that we did not give our best," Olaroiu added.
The first leg had ended in a goalless stalemate at the Rashid Stadium in Dubai and it is all to play for. Al Ahli just need a score-draw to land the spoils.
"After the first game was a goalless draw we have to think of the final on Saturday as one game. To win the trophy we have to score," said the Romanian tactician.
"We have tried to prepare the team to play in a way that we can get the trophy, we will play better than in the first leg to get exactly what we need," added the former Al Ain coach. The Red Knights will be without full-back Abdulaziz Haikal, who was sent off in the first leg at home.
Meanwhile, Guangzhou Evergrande coach Luiz Felipe Scolari hoped his side will come up with a better display than they did in the first leg. "We hope that we can play better than we did in the previous leg. If we can, then Saturday's game will not be such a challenge for us, but if we play the same or worse then we will certainly have problems," said Scolari who replaced former Italy captain and former Al Ahli assistant coach Fabio Cannavaro.
"The preparation has gone well and all of the work went as planned and all of the players are working their best. They are good players and they are dedicated to the game of football with passion for it. They are never afraid of chasing their dreams, I enjoy working with them and they deserve to be here at the AFC Champions League final," added the former Brazil coach.
As Al Ahli eye a first, Guangzhou Evergrande are aiming for their second AFC Champions League title in three years.
james@khaleejtimes.com