Al Ain-Hatta tie sets ball rolling

Abu Dhabi - The Arabian Gulf Cup first-round clash in Al Ain kicks-off the football season

The new footballing season starts with the Arabian Gulf Cup first-round match in Al Ain on Monday. Now, in a post-merger scenario the season starts with 12 teams.
The 'Boss' of Al Ain will set the ball rolling by hosting Hatta. The Group A fixture is robbed of star value as eight Al Ain players are away on national duty.
However, Al Ain coach Zoran Mamic was optimistic. He stressed on the importance of putting a strong performance and starting the local season with a win. "We knew beforehand that we will be missing eight players. I have great confidence in all my players," he said during a press conference.
And Mamic is all set to give young legs an opportunity at the Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium.
"I am confident about the ability of young players to compensate for the absence of eight seniors. The youngsters will be up to the challenge," the coach said.
Mamic said Al Ain youngsters will help to bag three points. "This will be a good opportunity for them to gain experience and represent the first team in future." 
When asked about the transfer of matches from Hazza bin Zayed Stadium to Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, he said: "We have to accept the present situation. There is some work going on for the Club World Cup."
Mamic hoped fans will rally behind his players. "I expect a good turnout to support young players and boost chances of a win."
On the importance of the Cup tournament, he said: "As a coach, I am looking forward to wining all matches, including friendlies. All tournaments my team play holds great importance for me. My goal is to win all trophies."
Meanwhile, new recruit Tsukasa Shiotani said the match is a challenge for the team as they miss eight players. The South Korean exuded confidence in young players.
"It's not easy to compensate for the loss of eight players but Al Ain have enough talented players to fill the void," the defender added.
Separately, Hatta coach Gjoko Hadzievski believed Monday tie will be a tough match. He too stressed on need to pocket maximum points to qualify. And there can't be a better opportunity to take three points from Al Ain then now.    
"We are looking to take advantage of the situation," he said referring to the Al Ain absentees.
Each point will count more than before as the Cup tournament see an additional quarter-final stage being added. Till date, there were seven rounds of group stages and then two top teams from each group would enter into semifinals.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com