Nothing is impossible - Mamic hopeful of Club World Cup upset
Al Ain beat River Plate in the semi-final to book Saturday's clash against holders Madrid, who are seeking a third straight title in the competition and a first trophy under new coach Santiago Solari.
Mamic's men were 3-0 down to Team Wellington in the first half of their tournament opener but fought back to win on penalties, also knocking out Copa Libertadores winners River in a shoot-out.
A whirlwind campaign will close against European champions Madrid in Abu Dhabi, with Mamic in confident mood despite the odds being stacked against his team.
"Real Madrid are the biggest team in the world," Mamic told reporters at a news conference.
"It's like when you compare a small Smart car with a big Mercedes, maybe one time the Smart car will win if the Mercedes machine breaks. I hope this one time it can happen also for us.
"Of course, we will try to do everything. We've come to the final, we've played good football and we deserve to be here. We didn't arrive in the final only with luck. We want to make a good match.
@realmadriden @alainfcae Pre-Match Press Conference @Amer_abdlrahman : All players need to focus, give the best performance and we need to play a historical game against Real Madrid #alainclub #clubWC @realmadridarab @realmadrid @FIFAcom @fifacom_ar @theafcdotcom pic.twitter.com/6jcOyDVSt1
— Al Ain FC - EN (@alainfcae_en) December 21, 2018
"It won't be easy. It's the fourth match in a short period and the team is very, very tired. But for tomorrow all of us will be ready. We have big motivation to represent the club and the country in a good way, and to make it difficult for Real Madrid.
"Real Madrid are going to give everything, but it isn't an advantage for them to be favourites. However, let's hope that the groundsman makes our goal smaller as Real Madrid are big favourites!
"Nothing is impossible. We have to believe, we have to try. After the game if we can look in the mirror and say 'OK, we gave everything, but Real were better', then we say 'bravo' to Real and we continue with our other competitions."
#TheBestThingsNeverComeEasy pic.twitter.com/uXsup10iiu
— Luka Modrić (@lukamodric10) December 5, 2018
Croatian coach Mamic is looking forward to catching up with his compatriot, Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, who this month became his country's first Ballon d'Or winner.
"I will talk to him before the game for sure," he added. "Since he has won so much in his career, I will also tell him to let us win!
"In every sport, also in football, every sportsman goes into every game to win, even if you play against Real Madrid.
"You have a dream; you think maybe you have luck, you have a very good day, Real Madrid miss some chances."