After taking their tally to 10 points from a possible 12 in four games, victory for Al Wasl over Al Dhafra on Sunday night at the Zabeel Stadium can seal their passage to the semi-finals of the Arabian Gulf Cup.
They were convincing 4-1 winners over Dhafra when they last met in the league three weeks ago but Rodolfo Arruabarrena, their Argentine manager, has warned his players not let the past result make them complacent.
“We had a good result when we met Dhafra the last time but that doesn’t guarantee a win for us. This is a new game and a different competition,” said the former Boca Juniors manager.
“They will want to win the three points as much as we do because they too are challenging to be in the semi-finals.”
Dhafra are on six points and have played one game less than Wasl. The three points from the leaders can significantly improve their chances to finish in the top two spots in Group A.
“For me, the end result is what matters,” said Arruabarrena. “On that score, we still have a long way to go. My players are aware of their roles in every game and every competition they play.
“Our results are pretty good at the moment in the cup competition but we still have a lot of work ahead if we want to challenge for this title. After all, what matters at the end, is how well we have played on the day.”
Dhafra began their cup campaign with victories over Hatta and Al Wahda before going down to Al Jazira 2-1 from an injury time strike. They are yet to get off the mark in two games in the league.
Sharjah, who are also on six with a game in hand, play Al Wahda in the other early game while Al Nasr travel to Baniyas for a crucial Group B game against the bottom team.
On Monday, Al Ain who are competing in three different competitions face Al Shabab, the Group B leaders.
Apart from the domestic league and cup competitions, the Garden City Club travel to Qatar for their semi-final return leg in the Asian Champions League on October 18.
Al Ain are on three points in three games and they need to win against Shabab to keep their cup campaign alive.
Zlatko Dalic, the Al Ain manager, also has a selection dilemma. He has to preserve some of his key players for the ACL return leg which they lead 3-1 and also deal with the absence of the players on national duty for the UAE’s World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
In Monday's other early fixtures, Al Jazira play Emirates away in Group A and Al Ahli travel to Dibba for a Group B match.
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