David O'Leary's Al Ahli face a test of their character against Sharjah tonight, just five days after their 4-0 mauling at the hands of Al Nasr.
"A good team should be able to bounce back after a heavy defeat," said O'Leary ahead of the home fixture. "I am learning from every match. I will know how good they are as a team and how strong they are mentally to come back from that disappointing result.
"We did make a few mistakes and were severely punished by Nasr." It was O'Leary's first defeat as Ahli manager since the 2-0 away loss to lowly Al Dhafra in the opening Pro League match in August.
But the 2008 champions' start to the season has been stuttering - they also dropped valuable points in a 2-2 away draw against Kalba, the promoted club - and they are seventh in the table with 11 points from seven games. Luckily for them though, no side has hit top form yet. Al Jazira lead the way with the first seven teams separated by just six points.
O'Leary's side will be strengthened for tonight's home match (KO 8pm) by the return of Aristide Bance, the striker, after a three-match ban for insulting Saleh Basheer, the Jazira defender, on September 24, which also earned him a Dh1,000 fine from the league's disciplinary committee.
"I am really excited to be back," said the Burkina Faso forward. "All the players have the desire to win this game and I hope I will also be able to contribute for the team's success."
Ahli are unbeaten at home with two wins and a draw, against Jazira, to whom they surrendered a two-goal lead after being reduced to 10 men after Bance was sent off. They are level on points with Sharjah, who are unbeaten away from home.
Manuel Cajuda, Sharjah's Portuguese coach, is also looking for a positive response from his players after they picked up just one point from their last two home games. He believes that Ahli's erratic form makes them an unpredictable team to play against.
"We travel with the intentions of winning, like in every game," Cajuda said. "Ahli are a dangerous side but they have shown indifferent form in every game. But we are going to be ready for whatever mood they are in on the night." In tonight's other games, Al Nasr travel to Baniyas (KO 5pm) with their confidence restored after a resounding win over Ahli last time out and bottom club Dubai, still searching for their first points of the season,visit fellow strugglers Al Dhafra (KO 5.10pm).
Meanwhile, in the Asian Under 16 Championship in Uzbekistan the UAE played out a goalless draw against Kuwait in their Group D opener yesterday.
apassela@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
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Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
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Game Of Thrones Season Seven: A Bluffers Guide
Want to sound on message about the biggest show on television without actually watching it? Best not to get locked into the labyrinthine tales of revenge and royalty: as Isaac Hempstead Wright put it, all you really need to know from now on is that there’s going to be a huge fight between humans and the armies of undead White Walkers.
The season ended with a dragon captured by the Night King blowing apart the huge wall of ice that separates the human world from its less appealing counterpart. Not that some of the humans in Westeros have been particularly appealing, either.
Anyway, the White Walkers are now free to cause any kind of havoc they wish, and as Liam Cunningham told us: “Westeros may be zombie land after the Night King has finished.” If the various human factions don’t put aside their differences in season 8, we could be looking at The Walking Dead: The Medieval Years.
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Afcon 2019
SEMI-FINALS
Senegal v Tunisia, 8pm
Algeria v Nigeria, 11pm
Matches are live on BeIN Sports