Abu Dhabi: With battle for the title heating up in the Arabian Gulf League (AGL), both Al Jazira and Al Ain will be well aware that there is no margin for error from now on. The two powerhouses are tied at 30 points each, but Al Ain have a match in hand. The pressure is hence on Jazira to keep their winning streak intact and hope that their rivals falter.
Al Jazira will be playing away against Fujairah on Sunday and team manager Eric Gerets is of the view that the contest will be very difficult and complicated.
“We will play two consecutive away matches during next week and if we want to stay on top and keep fighting for the title, then we have to come back with six points from these two matches against Fujairah and Emirates,” said Gerets, who is well aware of the strength of their opponents who had earlier defeated them at home.
“In the first half of the league, we lost two points to Fujairah in our stadium and we can’t allow this to happen again this time. We have to improve and play better than we did against Ajman in the last time because the next match will be very difficult and complicated,” added Gerets, whose side will travel to Uzbekistan for the AFC Champions League play-offs against Bunyodkor on February 17.
“With the Uzbekistan match lurking, our training session will focus more on the fitness side and recovery works, and I wish my players can maintain an ideal physical status for these upcoming important matches,” revealed Gerets.
They will have the services of their Brazilian medio Jucilei da Silva who is back after serving a one-match ban, but will miss Ahmad Al Ghilani with bookings. Fujairah are currently placed 10th after 13 matches and if they can somehow get across the line against Jazira, they will gain a couple of places. The former come into this encounter on the back of a 2-1 win over Emirates, while Jazira registered a resounding 3-1 triumph over Ajman.
Fujairah, on the other hand, is currently placed 10th after 13 matches and if they can somehow get across the line against Jazira they will gain a couple of places. They come into this encounter on the back of a 2-1 win over Emirates.
Al Ain, having tamed Al Shabab 2-1 last week, will be taking on Al Wasl, who will be looking for redemption after going down to Al Dhafra 3-1.
Al Wahda, currently placed third after starting the season on a high, will play Emirates at home. After losing 2-1 to Al Ahli, Al Wahda have got back to winnings way with wins coming against Al Nasr and Kalba, respectively. They will be keen to keep that momentum going.
Saturday’s action will also see Al Ahli clash with Al Shabab. A tooth-and-nail battle is on cards as the latter are in fourth place, one above the Red Knights. Al Nasr, recently crowned Arabian Gulf Cup champions, will be meeting Sharjah (whom they beat 4-1 in the final) in a grudge match.
