Abu Dhabi: Defending champions Al Ain will be looking to bid goodbye to 2015 on a high when they take on Emirates in the Arabian Gulf League at the Emirates Club Stadium on Friday, ahead of the winter break.
The Boss, who are currently at the top with 31 points, had to sweat it out against Fujairah before scoring four minutes from time for a 2-1 win. What came to the fore was Al Ain’s inability to convert clear-cut chances and coach Zlatko Dalic will be looking for opportunities to be netted. Dalic is well aware that Emirates, despite having lost four matches in a row, will raise their game against Al Ain.
“Facing the leaders serves as a perfect opportunity for Emirates to restore confidence and we are well aware of it. We are aware of the importance of winning this game as we have greater challenges in the next phase,” the Croatian said, adding, “From the beginning of the season, I told you that we need between 57 to 59 points to keep the title and so there is still work to be done. I’m not happy with the way we conceded three goals in the last two games.”
He insisted: “We must be better prepared and put up a strong performance and maintain the character of the team. We have to redouble our efforts and deal closely while playing against Emirates. Our mission is not yet over and the second round will be stronger than the first for sure.”
Al Ain’s coach’s caution for his players has a lot to do with the way their closest chasers Al Ahli suffered a shock 1-0 loss to Bani Yas.
Al Ahli’s slip-up allowed Bani Yas to move to seventh spot with 16 points. Al Ahli, despite having two matches in hand, now cannot afford any more hiccups when they take on bottom-placed Al Shaab on Saturday, who come into the match after suffering a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Al Nasr last week. Al Ahli, having missed out on two rounds due to their Asian Champions League commitments, will complete the remaining two fixtures in the next two weeks.
They will play Emirates on the 30th of this month, and then play Al Wasl on January 4. Success in these three matches is the only way Al Ahli can keep the pressure on leaders Al Ain, who are seven points clear and coach Cosmin Olaroiu is expected to leave no stone unturned before these back-to-back encounters. For Bani Yas, the success against Al Ahli also ended their six-game winless stint and they will look to draw inspiration from that game when they lock horns with Al Wahda at home on Saturday. Wahda have 19 points now and are sitting sixth in the table following their 1-0 win over Sharjah, whose resurgence under caretaker coach Abdul Aziz Al Anbari came to an end after Sebastian Tagliabue scored the only goal of the game to increase his lead at top of the scoring charts to an impressive 13 goals in 11 appearances.
Al Jazira stamped an authoritative 4-0 win over Emirates to sit in 10th, but they will have their task cut out for them when they meet Al Dafrah, who despite fighting relegation with just nine points, managed a huge boost in their battle to avoid the drop by beating Al Shabab 2-1. The loss pushed Al Shabab into fifth place, and they will be looking to make emends when they take on Al Wasl at Zabeel Stadium on Friday.
Fixtures
Fri
25/12/15
Emirates v Al Ain 4.45pm
Al Fujairah v Al Nasr 4.45pm
Al Wasl v Al Shabab 7.30pm
Sat
26/12/15
Al Sharjah v Dibba Al Fujairah 4.50pm
Al Dhafra v Al Jazira 5pm
Bani Yas v Al Wahda 7.30pm
Al Shaab v Al Ahli 7.30pm
