Al Ain coach hoping for Real misfire in final

Al Ain coach Zoran Mamic says his side facing Real Madrid in the FIFA Club World Cup final will be like a Smart car racing against a Mercedes Formula One machine, but he thinks there is a chance their more illustrious opponents might break down.  The United Arab Emirates Pro League champions pulled off one of the greatest shocks in the tournament’s history by knocking out Copa Libertadores winners River Plate in a penalty shoot-out following a 2-2 draw in the semi-finals.They will meet a Real Madrid side that have conquered Europe in the last three seasons and are on the verge of a record four Club World Cup titles, but who have also struggled for form this season, leading them to sack manager Julen Lopetegui in October, replacing him with Argentine Santiago Solari. Ahead of the final, Mamic alluded to Madrid’s struggles and gave his side a fighting chance. “Real Madrid is the biggest club there is, but sometimes a Smart car can beat a Mercedes,” said the Croatian.“We want to make the final very complicated for Real Madrid. We hope that whoever is in charge of the stadium makes their goal smaller. Real Madrid is the big favourite but sometimes machines don’t work as well as you expect them to.”Today’s game at the Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi will be the sixth game Al Ain will have played in an unforgiving period. “Our team deserves to be in the final, we are tired and I’m feeling ill but we are very motivated about doing well in the game and I’m sure we’ll put up a fight,” said Mamic, who had a brief international career with Croatia.He also said he was looking forward to meeting compatriot Luka Modric, who led his nation to the World Cup final and recently became the first Croatian to earn the prestigious Ballon d’Or award. “I’ll speak to him and seeing as he’s won everything lately, I’ll tell him to let us win this game,” Mamic added.Asensio to miss final, could be out for a monthReal Madrid forward Marco Asensio has been ruled out of today’s FIFA Club World Cup final after the European champions confirmed he had sustained a thigh injury. The Spain international, who has underperformed this season and has not scored in La Liga since September, picked up the injury in Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Kashima Antlers in the semi-finals. He came on as a substitute and then had to be replaced 14 minutes later. Real did not state for how long Asensio would be on the sidelines, although reports said he would be out for around a month.Meanwhile, Real captain Sergio Ramos demanded respect for current coach Santiago Solari as he batted away questions yesterday about whether Jose Mourinho could re-join the club in the future after being sacked by Manchester United.Mourinho, who was sacked by United on Tuesday, spent three eventful years with Real between 2010 and 2013, winning the La Liga title with a record 100 points, scoring 121 goals, as well as lifting the Copa del Rey. Yet his tenure also deeply divided the club’s supporters and players, and Ramos was among the most outspoken of the Portuguese coach’s critics. Yet with Real still reeling from Zinedine Zidane’s departure, having sacked his replacement Julen Lopetegui in October and then appointed the inexperienced Solari, some Spanish media reports have said president Florentino Perez could be tempted to bring Mourinho back.“Mourinho left us five years ago yet everyone keeps talking about him. People need to show more respect to the coach we have now,” Ramos said. “I’m not the person who decides which coach comes here or doesn’t, some people seem to think that the captains decide.”Victory over Al Ain today would hand former Real midfielder Solari his first trophy as coach and see the club overtake Barcelona as the most successful team in the competition’s history with four triumphs.