AGL enters fourth round
abu dhabi — The Arabian Gulf League season enters fourth round with teams beginning to find their bearings. Among the six matches evenly split on Friday and Saturday, there are many footballing encounters that can set tone for the season.
Defending champions Al Jazira will take on Al Dhafra as they seek to end their indifferent run. The ‘Pride of Abu Dhabi’ have so far pocketed just three points from as many League matches.
Last weekend of the Cup matches, however, saw Al Jazira finally coming good and beating Al Ain. And coach Henk ten Cate said Al Jazira were seeking to keep that winning spell going.
The match against Al Dhafra, ten Cate said, will help to ‘correct their course’ in the League, which has seen two losses and a solitary win.
“We were very good against Al Ain in the previous round of the Arabian Gulf Cup, and this important victory contributed to restoring the confidence of the team. We need to stay on the right path and earn points in next rounds of the League.”
The path, however, will not be easy as Al Dhafra had proved in the first round of the Cup match by holding Al Jazira to 1-1 draw at Hamdan Bin Zayed Stadium.
“All the confrontations we have in Al Dhafra are difficult and complex. They are an organised and disciplined team led by a clever technical manager, who has a very clear mark on his team’s performance. I respect him and I appreciate his work with Al Dhafra very much because he was able to make up for the absence of a group of players,” Ten Cate said at a press conference. The Dutchman was referring to the exit of value players like Omar Khribin, Makhete Diop and Abdullah Al Naqbi.
Al Dhafra, Ten Cate said, were tricky team. “We have to deal with them wisely and focus until we get out of the pitch with full points because we need to win this game after the faltering start to the Arabian Gulf League season,” the coach added.
Al Jazira are ninth on the table and Al Dhafra sit eighth.
In another evening match, Sharjah will travel to Hatta. Both the teams are at the bottom of the table. Last week’s Cup action saw Sharjah stunning Shabab Al Ahli Dubai in a 3-3 goal fest.The late match on Friday will see fight for top spot. Al Wahda and Al Wasl – both unbeaten sides will be in action at Zabeel Stadium. As per recent form, Al Wasl thrashed Emirates, whereas, Al Wahda lost to Dibba in the Cup matches. The fight for supremacy and be early pace setters will set up for a cracking contest.
On Saturday, Al Nasr play Dibba with both teams in decent shape. The second match will be tough affair for Ajman as they host Al Ain. In the late match, Shabab Al Ahli Dubai will try to get back on the winning path against Emirates at Rashid Stadium.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com