Al Wasl meet Shabab Al Ahli
dubai — Champions Al Jazira will not be in action in the 11th round of the Arabian Gulf League this weekend, thanks to the Abu Dhabi giants’ participation in the 2017 Fifa Club World Cup which got underway in Al Ain on Wednesday night.
There will still be plenty of exciting games for the local fans in the Arabian Gulf League, though.
Leaders Al Wasl will take on Shabab Al Ahli in the Dubai derby on Friday. Al Wasl are currently occupying the top spot with 22 points. Al Ain, on the other hand, have also collected 22 points but they find themselves in the second spot due to Al Wasl’s better goal difference.
In Friday’s second game, Al Ain will take on Al Dhafra. Both Al Wasl and Al Ain will look for the full three points from their respective games as the race to finish as the ‘Winter Champion’ becomes more and more exciting.
Al Wasl especially will be desperate for a victory after their disappointing 2-2 draw with 10th placed Hatta in the previous round.
Shabab Al Ahli, who are currently sitting in the fifth place with points, also dropped points in their previous game when they drew 1-1 with 11th placed Al Dhafra. In Friday’s first game, Dibba will host Sharjah. The home side are in seventh place with 10 points, and Sharjah in eighth place with nine points.
Meanwhile, Ajman and Hatta open the 11th round of the championship at Rashid bin Saeed Stadium on Thursday. Both teams have collected nine points each after 10 matches and both dropped points in their previous games. The team that win this encounter will go into the next round in a better frame of mind.
In Thursday’s second game, Dubai giants Al Nasr will face the bottom-placed Emirates at Dubai Club Stadium in Al Awir.
The three-time league champions will be keen to get their campaign back on track having suffered a 2-1 defeat to Al Ain on the road in the previous round. Al Ain are currently in sixth position with 14 points and a win on Thursday will help them get into the top four in the standings.