The match between Al Ain and Al Jazira at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Sunday night may be billed as the most important match of the season but, for the visitors, the defining fixture arguably took place more than two weeks ago.
These two sides were level on points at the top of the Arabian Gulf League table before the 17th round of games, which started on February 19.
Jazira had their noses in front thanks to the fact they had won the first game between the two sides 4-3 in Abu Dhabi back in October.
Al Ain had played one game less, but they gifted Jazira the chance to move three points clear when they lost 1-0 to Fujairah on February 19.
Jazira then wasted that opportunity with their own shock result two days later, going down 2-1 on home turf to Al Dhafra.
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Since then Al Ain have played their game in hand, again against Fujairah, but this time they made no mistake as they triumphed 3-0 and, for the first time this season, went to the top of the table outright.
They go into Sunday’s match with only nine games of the domestic campaign to play, knowing a win against their nearest challengers will be a defining moment in their bid for a third AGL title in four years.
It has been a commendable return to form for Al Ain after some early season struggles and a dismal last campaign.
All of a sudden manager Zlatko Dalic knows that a win will put his team in such a strong position that failing to deliver the title would be seen as a massive failure.
Topping the table naturally brings its own pressure, which Dalic is experiencing for the first time and is accentuated with him having to juggle domestic league fixtures with continental duties.
Eric Gerets must hope that Al Ain’s Asian Champions League exertions in the away 1-1 draw against Naft Tehran in midweek have taken a physical toll on the players and that Omar Abdulrahman, who has not started any of Al Ain’s past three matches, is still unfit.
More importantly, he will be looking to his own players to get over the shock of defeat to Dhafra, while he will hope the return of Ali Mabkhout will boost the team.
Last week Mabkhout entered the Guinness Book of World Records after his goal against Bahrain at the Asian Cup in January for the UAE was confirmed as the competition's fastest at 14 seconds.
Jazira will need him to reciprocate the form that saw him and Mirko Vucinic lead the club to the top of the table early in the season.
Defeat for Jazira could be fatal to their hopes of landing this season’s title and have longer-lasting repercussions.
It could be a while before they get an opportunity as big as this again.
At the start of the season, few fans saw the title going anywhere but Al Ain or Al Ahli, with Al Jazira seen as nothing more than a dark horse.
With Ahli self-imploding and Al Ain taking time to get into their stride, this season provided a golden opportunity for Jazira to win their second league title.
It looked as though they had hungrily grabbed that chance with both hands until two weeks ago, when their grip was significantly loosened.
On Sunday, it could be snatched away for good.
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