DUBAI // Al Shabab will be battling to keep the Arabian Gulf League title race alive and maintain their position behind leaders Al Ahli when they host Al Wahda on Saturday evening.
Shabab's 1-0 defeat at relegation-threatened Dubai in the previous round has given Ahli a nine-point lead at the top, and another loss today would give their neighbours a chance to clinch the championship with a win at Al Jazira on Sunday.
Marcos Paqueta’s men are determined to avoid that. “We want to make sure we stay in second and then wait and see if Ahli slip up,” the coach said.
Shabab will be missing two key players for the game through suspension. Essam Dahi and Abdullah Eissa were sent off in the closing minutes of the loss to Dubai, but Paqueta is confident he has the replacements to get the job done.
“With the pressure of the matches, you always have to make sure you are preparing a group of players who can step in should you face an emergency,” he said, “and we have got excellent players who can come in and do the job.”
Wahda could also be missing some key players, with the injured Kuwaiti defender Hussain Fadel likely to be ruled out and the veteran striker Ismail Matar a doubt.
Jose Peseiro, the Wahda coach, was optimistic yesterday as his team aim to force their way into the top four.
“Remember our match against Emirates, when we were able to win despite the absence of four leading players from the team,” said Peseiro, whose side are fifth on 33 points, two behind Sharjah. They are unbeaten in their past five league matches, collecting 11 points along the way.
"We were also able to return with a [4-4] draw from Al Jazira despite the difficulty of the game. So these absences will not be a hindrance and we have only one goal, which is to win the match."
“This is a very important match for us. We are currently fifth and our position on the points table makes us wish for more,” Peseiro said. “We are very close to moving into the top four in the league and put ourselves in contention for a place in the Champions League.
“The competition for the top four places is bound to intensify in the coming weeks, and I don’t think these places will be decided until the final round. Shabab, Jazira and Sharjah are currently closest to finishing in the top four, but they are going to face strong competition.
“And let us not forget about teams like Al Nasr, Al Ain and Baniyas. So there is a lot of competition, but we hope to finish at least in fourth position and play in Asia next season.”
Al Dhafra v Shaab
The hosts hope to return to winning ways against Al Shaab tonight after defeats in their past two matches.
“Our performance in the last two matches suffered due to injuries to key players and the workload,” said Abdullah Misfir, the Dhafra coach, who will see four players return from injury: midfielder Abdulrahim Jumaa, goalkeeper Mohammed Ghuloom, Moroccan playmaker Kamel Chafni and defender Hassan Abdulrahman.
Ajman v Dubai
Abdulwahab Abdulqadir, the Ajman coach, says his resurgent team need three more points to assure themselves a place in the top division next season, and he hopes to get them against Dubai.
Languishing at the bottom of the table with only nine points from 16 matches, Ajman have moved towards safety with 12 points from their past five matches.
“We need to reach 24 points to be safe,” Abdulqadir said. “So there is no room for complacency. Dubai is going to be tough, as their last two matches show, so we need to be at the top of our game.”
Al Wasl v Al Nasr
Wasl players have called for home support as they host Nasr in the Bur Dubai derby.
Wasl have just five points from their past 11 league matches and fans have put up banners describing the current team as the "worst in the history of Al Wasl", the UAE's "team of the 20th century", according to Fifa. Wasl players have sent out an appeal to fans through a YouTube video.
“We know we are responsible, but we hope you will stand with us,” Mohammed Jamal said. “I hope to see you in the next game because it is very important,” Mariano Donda said.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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