Al Ain skipper Fahad desperate for AFC Champions League return

Al Ain skipper Fahad Ali is eager to play in the Abu Dhabi side's AFC Champions League quarter-final second leg away to Pas on Wednesday after sitting out the last week 's first leg which finished 1-1.

"I am fit and ready but my coach (Milan Macala) feels I have still not reached the true level of my play," said the UAE international defender, who was benched in Al Ain's first two games of the new E-League after a nagging leg injury kept him out for most of last season.

The 28-year-old has only played two games in the 2005 AFC Champions League so far, captaining the side in the first and last matches of their victorious Group B campaign, namely a 3-0 win over Syria's Al Wahda and 3-2 triumph over Pas' Iran Pro League rival Sepahan.

With limited action and having already tasted ACL glory in the inaugural event Fahad is desperate for another crack on the international stage.

"The continental competition definitely raises the profile of the player to a new level. The players who feature in the Champions League turn into international figures and (it's) unquestionably special to me.

"Winning the inaugural continental title was one of the biggest achievements. It brought a lot of joy to the entire UAE and came at a time when the domestic league had become a bit stale for our own fans. It was really fantastic to win the AFC title.

"As for the team, it remains more or less the same with the exception of Salem Jawhar and Sultan Rashid, besides the three professionals who played in that tournament."

Last year the nine-time UAE champion was eliminated by Chonbuk Hyundai Motors from the quarter-finals following a 5-1 aggregate defeat.

Should the away goal scored by Pas' Iran international Arash Borhani not turn out to prove too costly and Al Ain get the result it needs in its second leg clash in Tehran then it will almost certainly be facing South Korean opposition in the semi-final as Busan I'Park takes a 3-0 lead into its quarter-final second leg with Al Sadd.

"Certainly we would like to avenge that loss to Chonbuk if it so happens, but we haven't thought of playing Busan or any other team but we are just focused on Pas at the moment. It was a bad loss to Chonbuk last year. It was one of those days when nothing goes right for you. The Koreans are speedy as much as they are strong and very skillful."

But before Fahad and his teammates can think about Busan -- assuming Al Sadd don't overturn its three goal deficit -- they have to first make sure that they can get on the score sheet against Pas, a side that conceded just two goals at home during the group stage.

The second leg of Al Ain's AFC Champions League quarter-final against Pas kicks off at Tehran's Dastgerdi Stadium at 18:05hrs local time.

Source: Xinhua