UAE leaders al-Ain set for al-Jazira showdown

Table-toppers Al win will be looking to extend their lead when they face second placed Al Jazira in the 18th round of the Etisalat Pro League match at the Tahnon Bin Mohamed Stadium on Sunday. The match will start at 8:15pm. Following Al Ain’s shock loss at home to Dibba Al Fujairah in 17th round, Al Jazira closed the gap at the top to just three points, so this crucial tie could either open up Al Ain’s lead to nine points again, or cut it right down to a difference of three, ensuring a highly competitive title race for the remainder of the season. Both teams had midweek games to contend with, as Al Jazira were beaten 3-1 by Tractorsazi in Iran on Tuesday night, and Al Ain fared the best of all UAE teams on the continent as they hosted Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal on Wednesday, recording a comprehensive 3-1 victory. The Etisalat Pro League match also signals Luis Milla’s first domestic game in charge since being appointed Al Jazira head coach following Paulo Bonamigo’s sacking, and the Spaniard will be hoping to secure a memorable first win as boss as he looks to implement a new Spanish playing style to produce good results and entertainment. The 18th round will begin on Saturday at 5:40pm and Al Wahda will host relegation battlers Al Shaab at the Al Nahyan Stadium. Al Wahda have suffered injury setbacks throughout the season, and the latest casualty to add to the list is midfielder Tawfeeq Al Hosani who is ruled out with a ligament injury. Al Wahda go into the game with 24 points in 7th position, whilst Al Shaab sit just above the drop zone in 12th, and must scrap for every point they can get to secure safety as both sides below them have the same points total of 10. At 5:45pm on Saturday, Al Dhafra will be visited by Al Wasl at the Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Stadium, as the Dubai-based club’s new coach Eid Baroot looks to keep up the winning start his side made against Ajman in the last round, under his new leadership. Both teams have had plenty of preparation time ahead of the game, as neither participated in any midweek matches on the continent. 8th-placed Al Wasl will hope that last week’s 4-2 victory signifies a change in fortunes and that they can consolidate the result with another three points in Round 18, to add to their current total of 20. Al Dhafra meanwhile sit 11th in the table on 15 points, and will be looking nervously over their shoulders as the three bottom teams have picked up unlikely wins in the past few rounds. Saturday’s late kick-off sees Al Ahli welcome Kalba to the Rashid Stadium in Dubai at 8:15pm. 4th-placed Al Ahli will not want to let their position in the table slip after a disappointing result at Al Shabab last week allowed their opponents to climb within one point of them in 5th position, so bouncing back with a win will be the only thing on the minds of Quique Flores’ men. Kalba, meanwhile, are riding on the crest of a wave having upset Al Nasr with a worthy 2-1 win in the last round, and the second-from-bottom side will be hoping to carry their momentum forward as they fight to climb out of the relegation spots. Round 18’s remaining fixtures take place on Sunday, with Dibba Al Fujairah kicking off the day’s proceedings as they entertain third-placed Bani Yas at the Fujairah Stadium at 5:30pm. Bottom-of-the-table Dibba Al Fujairah come into the game in extremely high spirits, having pulled off the shock of the season so far by defeating League leaders and reigning Champions Al Ain on their home turf last week, and Dr. Abdullah Misfer’s men will hope they can pull off another giant-killing, this time in front of their home fans. Bani Yas will be glad to welcome back strikers Andre Senghor and Mohamed Aboutrika for the match.  Source : Gulftoday