Double derby delight
The spotlight on Round 16 of the Arabian Gulf League falls on the two derbies in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Al Wasl and Al Nasr meet at the Zabeel Stadium tonight and Al Wahda will host Al Jazira at Al Nahyan Stadium tomorrow.
As if a Bur Dubai derby was not enticing enough, both Wasl and Nasr, fourth and third in the league table respectively, are coming off disappointing results from the previous round Wasl thrashed 3-0 at home by Arabian Gulf League leaders Al Ain and Nasr held to a 1-1 draw at home by Al Dhafra.
Meanwhile new Jazira coach, Henk ten Cate goes in search of his first win after presiding over two draws in his two previous games in charge.
“Derbies all over the world bring the best out of the team and I hope this game will bring the best out of my players. It can be the turning point for us,” said the Dutchman.
Transfer toppers too
With 10 games left the league is now a two-horse race for the AGL title.
Al Ain hold a three-point lead over Al Ahli and that order seems unlikely to change with the champions travelling to Sharjah and the Dubai club making the long trip to the Western Region to face Dhafra.
With neither club resting on their laurels Al Ain and Al Ahl have been the most active AGL clubs during the winter transfer window. Al Ain have brought in fresh legs into their foreign quota and they have already made an impact, with both Colombian winger Danilo Asprilla and the Brazilian Douglas scoring on their league debuts, against Dhafra and Wasl respectively. They have also acquired Yasir Matar from Al Jazira.
Not to be outdone, Ahli too, have moved in the transfer market, recruiting UAE international Khamis Esmail from Jazira to bolster their midfield.
Ahli have also called up the Brazilian forward Ciel to replace their injured prolific Brazilian striker Rodrigo Lima. Ciel played a key role for Ahli when they won the league title in 2014.
Ciel returns to first-team duty after an 18-month injury lay-off.
Rot is deep at Shaab
Al Shaab travel to Ras Al Khaimah for a meeting with Emirates, and for them anything less than three points would move them one step closer to relegation.
They began the second half of the league with some promise, a 1-1 draw at Baniyas, but what followed next could not have gone any worse, losing 6-3 to Fujairah.
Walter Zenga, the Italian who took charge of Shaab eight weeks ago, acknowledged the challenge that his team faces: “Every game we play is like a final for us.”
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