Al Nasr take on Dibba with sense of dread

Dubai: Al Nasr’s away trip to Dibba Fujairah on Friday is being viewed as a potential banana-skin fixture by Blue Wave coach Walter Zenga.

Dibba are second from bottom and three points deep into the relegation zone behind Al Shaab with five games to go. In their fight for survival, the league minnows have recently recorded giant-killing wins at Al Dhafra, Al Ain, and Al Wasl with a draw at Al Jazira.

Fourth-placed Al Nasr, meanwhile, are five points behind Bani Yas and in the midst of a fixtures backlog made worse by their Asian Champions League involvement. Although they are already out of reckoning for the continental prize, having lost all four of their group matches, they must play out the last two games as a formality.

Walter Zenga, who has finished third and second in the past two consecutive league seasons in Oud Metha, is still trying to break top three or equal his previous best in order to keep speculation surrounding his future at bay. The match is therefore pivotal for both clubs.

Zenga said: “I think that this game will be the most difficult game we will play this year. The reasons are clear. The players have to know they are to continue with the same performances that they have been showing this month. They played a great game against Al Wahda [1-0] and we are now in fourth position. But this game came in a very bad period. It’s number six in 20 days and we visit a team that are fighting to stay alive.”

Elsewhere, mid-table Al Dhafra are having similar concerns ahead of their home game with Al Shaab, who need to widen a three-point gap between themselves and Dibba to avoid the drop.

“It’s a difficult game because of the concentration of our team, we are near the end of the season,” said Al Dhafra coach Laurent Banide.

Al Dhafra are already 14 points clear of the relegation zone with five games remaining and can confirm safety with one more win. They are also just four points off a top half finish but Banide insists he’s more concerned with confirming survival.

“We don’t have the programme for that,” said Banide in reference to a top-half finish. “We have a programme to stay in the first division. Step-by-step, we are more hungry, we want to eat but the problem is we have big teams around us. But for the moment we must keep our feet on the ground.”

Meanwhile, bottom of the league Kalba’s trip to fifth-placed Al Jazira, has been brought forward to Friday in order to give Al Jazira more time to prepare for their Asian Champions League group clash against Iran’s Tractor Sazi on Wednesday. Al Jazira coach Luis Milla is under pressure having only won one in 11 matches.