Al Ahli coach Cosmin Olaroiu believes pressure and expectation will weigh heavily on Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal when the two meet in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday.

Olaroiu, who managed the two-time Champions League winners from 2007 to 2009, says he is uniquely aware of the mental strain Hilal’s players will be under.
“I know them, they know me. We have a special relationship, but the game is the game. They have the pressure of the public and they have a lot of supporters,” he told the AFC website.
“When you play in the league or the Champions League, psychology is important and, it is just as important as the physical side and its part of our job and we have to take this into consideration.
“At this point in the competition nobody is superior to anybody. Whoever performs better in the match will qualify for the final.”
Olaroiu’s side reached the penultimate stage of the competition after 1-0 and 2-1 wins over Iran’s Naft Tehran secured a 3-1 aggregate victory.
They have played two competitive matches since the second leg of that encounter, thrashing Al Fujairah 8-1 and securing a narrow 2-1 win over Al Dhafra in the first two games of their domestic league.
Al Hilal advanced to the semis thanks to a 6-3 aggregate win over Qatar’s Lekhwiya SC, after a 4-1 first leg win and a 2-2 draw in the second leg.
They have since recorded a 1-0 victory against Al Raed and sit at the summit of the Saudi Pro League after three wins in as many games.
Tuesday’s first leg match will take place at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh while Al Ahli will host the second leg at Dubai’s Rashid Stadium on October 20.

Source Foxsports