Eric: Al Hilal has a more cohesive and harmonious team

Brazilian Eric, a player for the Emirati club Al Ain, spoke about the difference between facing Al Hilal and Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia, before facing Al Zaeem on Monday, in the third round of the AFC Elite Champions League.

Eric said: “I think the only thing in common between Al Hilal and Al Nasr is the presence of stars in each team, but they are two completely different teams in terms of playing style and coaches’ ideas.”

He added: “Every team brings a different type of difficulty when facing it, and for me, playing against Al Hilal is always important and fun. It is a great opportunity to play against players who inspire me, and who play at their highest levels.”

He continued: “We want to give our best in the Al Hilal match, and we know that their fans are demanding that their players win over us to make up for last season’s loss, but we will not let this matter affect us. We are only focusing on presenting a great match and achieving... A positive result.”

Regarding the victory over Al Hilal last season, he said: “Maybe no one knew our team well last season because we were not a team with stars, but we fought hard.” With a great deal of dedication, talent and ambition.”