News Center

Arabian Gulf League: Round Three Preview

Round Three of the Arabian Gulf League will serve up some interesting clashes on Thursday 26th and Friday 27th September, as the League begins to take shape and the season develops. The first match of the round sees top-of-the-League Al Shabab welcome Al Jazira to the Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium at 5:25pm on Thursday. Al Shabab have a perfect record from their first two games and can also boast the League’s current top scorer in Adeilson, who has netted three times in the opening two matches. Al Jazira have had a mixed start, coming from behind to snatch a late win in their first game before suffering a 3-2 home defeat and losing two players to red cards against Al Wasl last Saturday. As a result, Al Jazira will have to face Al Shabab without the suspended Hyungmin Shin and Abdullah Mousa, as well as Paraguayan striker Nelson Valdez who picked up an injury in the defeat.

There will be a Dubai derby at the Al Maktoum Stadium at 8:30pm as Al Nasr host Al Ahli. The visitors have taken maximum points from both of their League games, but left it until the last minute each time to do so. Al Nasr got off the mark with a 2-1 win over Al Shaab in the last round and will hope to build on their first three points of the campaign by halting Al Ahli’s winning start. Also at 8:30pm, Sharjah will visit Ajman’s Rashid bin Saeed Stadium with Ajman currently winless after their first two games, whilst Sharjah have won one and lost one.

Dubai versus Bani Yas kicks off at 5:25pm at the Dubai Stadium on Friday, as Bani Yas look to preserve their unbeaten start to the season, whilst Dubai will hope to continue on a positive trajectory having secured three points with a 3-2 victory in the previous round. Ten minutes later, at 5:35pm, the action will get underway at the Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan Stadium as Al Ain travel to Al Dhafra. The home side picked up their first point in the last round with a 0-0 draw at Bani Yas, whilst Al Ain registered their first win of the campaign with a double from Asamoah Gyan sinking Ajman. Al Ain will once again be led by temporary head coach Ahmad Abdullah as the Club looks to appoint a permanent successor to the sacked Jorge Fossati.

At 8:30pm Emirates visit Al Wahda at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi, with both sides looking to return to winning ways having begun the season with Round One victories, and then suffering defeat in their second matches. Also at 8:30pm Al Shaab welcome Al Wasl to the Khaled bin Mohamed Stadium, with the hosts currently bottom of the table without any points on the board. Al Wasl go into the game in a buoyant mood having secured their first three points with a dramatic 3-2 win at Al Jazira on Saturday.