(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The new season of the UAE top flight is still little less than a month away but Al Ain will set their wheels in motion on the morrow, much earlier than expected, hoping to lay down the road map for a second Asian crown.
The Boss, donning their brand new iconic purple kit, will stride out on Monday night, at their iconic fortress - the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium - to resume battle in the AFC Champions League, Asia's premier club competition.
If the past few days are any indication, it could be yet another sweltering night, not least their opponents, who will be turning up the heat, no less. It will be Saudi Arabian heavyweights Al Hilal that Al Ain square off against in the first of the two legs of the quarterfinals.
Al Ain, the inaugural winners of the competition in 2003, have been itching to put an end to a 14-year wait after near misses, one, as recently as last season, when they finished second best to South Korean club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
Al Ain were runners-up in 2005 and semifinalists in 2014, where they coincidentally went down to Al Hilal, the eventual runners-up. The Garden City club were put out of the contest in the first leg itself after suffering a 3-0 defeat, and although they went on to win the home leg 2-1, the damage had been done as they lost 4-2 on aggregate.
So, perhaps, in some ways, Monday night's fixture would be a chance to atone for those mistakes of 2014 and set things right.
This will be their seventh appearance in the last eight of the competition and Al Ain will be looking to make it count for something, this time.
Ever since the close season, Al Ain have put their poor domestic season on to the back burner and their sole aim and focus has been on an assault on the AFC Champions League.
After unsuccessful attempts to replicate the great Ghanian Asamoah Gyan, reinforcements have arrived in the summer with the signing of Swedish international Marcus Berg and Tsukasa Shiotani.
Berg will have those big Ghanian boots to fill and so would Shiotani, with the Japanese taking the place of South Korean ace Lee Myung Joo.
The acquisition of a big player like Berg is not just a statement of intent but also one to appease the Al Ain faithful - the Ainnawis - after a turbulent season. This is redemption, if ever there is one.
Speaking of redemption, Douglas has a chance at it after his penalty miss against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors proved costly, in more ways than one. The 29-year-old Brazilian quickly hurtled down the pecking order and from not being a first choice, he was left out of the squad.
There were talks of selling the striker but coach Zoran Mamic's faith in him, has given a fresh lease of life to Douglas. And there could be no better stage than the very one that proved his downfall, to repay that faith.
And an Al Ain piece would not be complete without talking about Omar Abdulrahman, their talisman. The current AFC Player of the Year has shunned offers from Europe, with the recent one being from French club Nice.
Perhaps, 'Amoory' wants to complete his dream of conquering Asia before setting foot to Europe.
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