Al Jazira attempt to climb back into the race in Group A tonight and the upstarts Emirates can reinforce their status as contenders in Group D tomorrow in Asian Champions League (ACL) play.
Jazira play Al Hilal of Riyadh in an interesting third-round match-up pitting the runaway leaders of the Pro League against the runaway leaders of the Saudi Premier League. The game begins at 9.45pm in the UAE.
Jazira have only one point from two ACL matches, and it is fair to wonder whether the Abu Dhabi side are giving their full attention to the continental club competition considering that they have never won the league or the President's Cup but are well-placed to secure a double this spring.
They lead the league by 10 points and need only four victories from their last seven matches to end 37 years of futility, and they can win the President's Cup on Monday when they play Al Wahda in the final.
Jazira were crushed 5-1 at Sepahan of Iran in their last ACL match.
Jazira's leaders have been their foreign contingent of Bare and Ricardo Oliveira, the Brazilian forwards, and the Argentine midfielder Matias Delgado. Ibrahim Diaky in midfield and the goalkeeper Ali Kasheif also are prominent.
Yasser al Qahtani, the captain, leads Al Hilal with 11 league goals while Christian Wilhelmsson, their Swedish forward has five.
Emirates, the Ras al Khaimah side who were relegated from the Pro League last season, are in the ACL because they are the holders of the President's Cup.
Like Jazira, they play in Saudi Arabia in the third round, at Al Shabab of Riyadh, in a match tomorrow which starts at 9.05pm UAE time.
Nabil Daoudi, the Moroccan forward, has two goals for Emirates, including the first score in the 2-0 shock victory over Al Rayyan of Qatar. The Algerian forward Karim Kerkar is the team captain.
Emirates are second in their group on three points, one ahead of Shabab, and a victory could put them on their way to a surprise berth in the knockout phase.
poberjuerge@thenational.ae
