JEDDAH :Al-Ahli coach Matthias Jaissle has warned his players against complacency when the heavily favoured Saudi Pro League side take on Buriram United in the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League Elite in Jeddah on Saturday.
With a squad that features Ivan Toney, Riyad Rahrez, Roberto Firmino and Franck Kessie, Al-Ahli are widely expected to see off the Thai League 1 outfit, but Jaissle sounded a note of caution ahead of the last eight clash.
“Every opponent on that stage is strong enough to make it a round further, so we need to be aware of that,” said Jaissle.
“There’s not a single percentage of time where we can underestimate any opponent on that level. In football it’s important to understand that, independent of the roles.”
The odds are weighted even more heavily in Al-Ahli’s favour with the eight-team finals tournament being played in their home city and Saturday’s match at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium is expected to be a sell-out.
And while that will add to the sense of expectation among Al-Ahli’s demanding fanbase, Jaissle believes his players’ desire to advance to the semi-finals will be enough to drive the team to victory.
“To deal with the pressure it’s always the same,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it comes from the outside, the players are motivated enough and put themselves under pressure, the same as the coach.
“You come so far in this competition being unbeaten so, of course, we want to make it to the next round, in Jeddah especially. That circumstance means a lot.
“We want to give something back to the fans, to the club. It’s normal in football. I don’t feel extra pressure.”
Buriram United are appearing in the quarter-finals of the continental championship for the first time since 2012 and head coach Osmar Loss views the encounter as an opportunity to gauge the ability of his current squad.
“This is an important game to check our level,” he said. “Because when we play in our region we know that we can compete for everything at a good level.
“This game will be a balance to check our level and see how much we need to improve for the next years.
“Of course, we know that we will play against one really strong team but we deserve to be here. We’ve created our own way to come here and over 90 minutes in football everything can happen.”
