Dubai: A major part of the attention in the last three weeks of the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) season will be on the race for the remaining places in next season’s AFC Asian Champions League.

With three rounds remaining, Al Ain have already been assured of the league crown as they sit top of the standings with an insurmountable 55 points. Al Jazira are in second with 45, while neighbours Al Wahda and Dubai’s Al Shabab have 42 each and will be waiting for any slip-ups.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) allocates two Champions League spots for teams from the UAE. However, another two teams also stand a chance of qualifying via the play-off stage.

While Al Jazira, Al Wahda and Al Shabab hope to maintain their intensity as they bid to qualify for next season’s continental competition, the remaining teams will have different agendas. In fifth place are Al Wasl with 35 points, a point ahead of defending champions Al Ahli and two in front of cross-city rivals Al Nasr in seventh.

At the lower end of the table, Kalba and Ajman look destined for the drop with ten and 14 points, respectively.

In this week’s action on Sunday and Monday, the fight between Al Wahda and Al Ain will gain much of the attention, while Al Jazira and Al Shabab will take on Sharjah and Fujairah, respectively.

Al Shabab star Carlos Villanueva summed it up well, saying: “Every team has different intentions and ambitions till the end of the season. Some of them will be looking to improve their standings while others will be looking to keep their places.

“At Al Shabab, each and every player is focused on these last three games. We have the option to fight for a spot in the AFC Champions League and hence the results in all three games count.”

However, a major worry for Al Shabab is an eerie near-repeat of their end-of-season form from last year, where they managed just two points from their final seven rounds. This year’s slump started off with a 3-1 loss at home against Emirates Club, followed by successive draws against Al Wasl and Ajman.

But coach Caio Junior is hoping his team have turned the corner following their emphatic 3-1 win against Bahrain’s East Riffa Club in the GCC Champions League last week.

“The last three matches were not good, but we are hoping our confidence level will soar following our win in the Gulf Champions League,” he said.