Abu Dhabi: Surprise strugglers Al Jazira will be bidding to haul themselves clear of trouble in the Arabian Gulf League when they entertain Dibba on Thursday, in the first of the Round 17 matches.
The Pride of Abu Dhabi, who finished second in the AGL last season, currently lie just two points clear of the relegation zone in 11th.
Meanwhile, their opponents on Thursday, Dibba, are eighth and will be bidding to do the double over Henk ten Cate’s men after inflicting a 4-2 defeat on the capital’s giants earlier in the season.
In Thursday’s late game, Al Shabab host Bani Yas, the reverse fixture of which saw a 1-1 draw back in September.
The Hawks’ inconsistency showed again with a 2-0 defeat away at Dibba in the last round, so Caio Junior’s side will be looking to bounce back against the Sky Blues, who were 3-2 winners over Fujairah at the weekend.
Friday’s fixtures begin at 5.15pm with a Northern Emirates derby between Fujairah and Emirates. The two sides shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw earlier in the season and Fujairah will be looking to bounce back from defeat at Bani Yas and Emirates hoping to build on last round’s first victory in eight attempts at home to Al Shaab.
Soon after that, at 5.20pm, there’s a Dubai derby at the Rashid Stadium as second-place Al Ahli host fourth-place Al Wasl.
Having met just last month in their rescheduled Round 4 fixture — a 0-0 draw at the Zabeel Stadium — Al Ahli will not be willing to drop any more points in the title race following last Saturday’s slip-up at Al Dhafra, with whom they drew 2-2 away, while Al Wasl go into the game buoyed by a memorable 3-2 derby victory over Al Nasr.
At 8pm on Friday, it’s the clash they call ‘Al Clasico’ as league leaders Al Ain and fifth-place Al Wahda meet at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium.
The defending champions will be desperate to recover from last round’s shock defeat at Sharjah and will hope to avoid a repeat of their 2-1 loss to Al Wahda earlier in the season, while the Clarets come into the game brimming with confidence following a late derby win over Al Jazira last Friday.
Moving on to Saturday, Al Shaab will kick off at 5.20pm against Al Dhafra in a crucial relegation six-pointer.
The bottom-of-the-table hosts have yet to win in 16 attempts in the Arabian Gulf League this season, but earned one of their total of three points in a 1-1 draw with the same opponents back in Round 4.
Al Dhafra’s form has picked up of late, collecting points from tough opposition such as Al Nasr and Al Ahli, and a win could potentially move them out of the danger zone depending on other results.
Concluding the round at 8pm on Saturday, Al Nasr will hope for an instant recovery from their derby defeat as they host a sky-high Sharjah side, elated after a stunning 3-2 victory over Al Ain. A repeat of the 1-1 draw at the Sharjah Stadium earlier in the season would not be desirable for either side, as Al Nasr aim to maintain their top-three position and Sharjah continue to put distance between themselves and the drop spots.
ARABIAN GULF LEAGUE
Thursday’s games
Al Jazira vs Dibba, 5.25pm
Al Shabab vs Bani Yas, 8pm
Friday’s games
Fujairah vs Emirates, 5.15pm
Al Ahli vs Al Wasl, 5.20pm
Al Ain vs Al Wahda, 8pm
Saturday’s games
Al Shaab vs Al Dhafra, 5.20pm
Al Nasr vs Sharjah, 8pm
