Leaders Al Wasl look to continue winning streak
dubai — After an international break which saw the UAE beat Iraq to keep alive their World Cup qualification chances, the Arabian Gulf League is back up and running this weekend. And on the menu are some mouth-watering fixtures, fixtures that could blow the gap wide open among the top five.
The weekend begins with Al Shabab, who were early pace setters but are now fifth on the table, hosting Dibba at the Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium on Friday evening.
Al Dhafra at home in the Western Region to Emirates is also an interesting one but the Zabeel Stadium and the Al Sharjah Stadium will be the focus on Friday night.
League leaders Al Wasl, who are in the midst of a purple patch, with their best start to a season in years, playing hosts to Bani Yas. Elsewhere, in Al Sharjah, it should be an interesting duel between Al Sharjah and Al Nasr.
Al Wasl are on a hot streak, so to speak, having strung together five wins on the trot. And coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena, who has played a pivotal role in that, has urged his men to continue the winning mentality.
“The players have to keep the winning mentality and deal with this match as final,” the Argentine said about the upcoming game against Bani Yas.
“We have no place for any relaxation of any kind. We are going to face a team who suffered in terms of results. They changed their coach but they still they have very good players and they can be really dangerous if they have the chance. We have an obligation to fight in all matches and now we have responsibility as well to do so,” he added.
Meanwhile, midfielder Ali Hassan Salmin too echoed his coach by saying Bani Yas could be dangerous and they need to be wary of them.
“It’s going to be an important match like any match we play. Bani Yas are a tough team despite the negative results. Regardless of their position, Bani Yas can be really dangerous, especially after changing the coach. We are completely ready for the midfield battle,” Salmin said.
“We need to keep the good performance we showed recently. We tried with our coach to improve ourselves. As a group, we all want to give our best. Starting from goalkeeper to the striker,” he added.
Meanwhile, in what is a straight shoot-out second placed Al Jazira host defending champions Al Ahli at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium on Saturday.
Record League champions Al Ain and newcomers Hatta get the week off as the former are in South Korea, contesting the AFC Champions League final first leg against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on Saturday. Their fixture will be played on a later date.
james@khaleejtimes.com