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Olaroiu aims to beat former side

Xinhua, September 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

Coach Cosmin Olaroiu insists he is fully focused on guiding Al Ahli of the United Arab Emirates to a famous AFC Champions League victory against Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal despite his "special relationship" with his former employers ahead of next week's semifinal first leg at King Fahd International Stadium.

Goals from Brazilian Rodrigo Lima and captain Ahmed Khalil saw Al Ahli defeat Iran's Naft Tehran 3-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals to mark their first appearance in the semifinals.

And after Al Hilal defeated Qatar's Lekhwiya 6-3 on aggregate in their quarter-final, former Saudi Arabia couch Olaroiu will now face the side he guided to the Saudi league title in 2008.

"I know them, they know me. We have a special relationship, but the game is the game," Romanian Olaroiu told the Asian Football Confederation website.

Olaroiu took over at Al Ahli in July 2013 after spells at Al Ain of the UAE and in Qatar with Al Sadd that followed his departure from Al Hilal in 2009.

"They have the pressure of the public and they have a lot of supporters. When you play in the league or the Champions League, psychology is important and, it is just as important as the physical side and it's part of our job and we have to take this into consideration," Olaroiu said to the website.

"At this point in the competition nobody is superior to anybody. Whoever performs better in the match will qualify for the final." Endi