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Bani Yas host leaders Al Ain in the marquee match of Round 11

 

 

 

The Etisalat Pro League 11th Round matches will get underway this Wednesday, December 5 with plenty of important and high profile fixtures in store. The first day will witness four games including the thrilling clash between league leaders Al Ain with 25 points and runners-up Bani Yas who have collected 22 points so far at Al Shamkha Stadium. The other three remaining encounters of this round will be played the following day.

The first game of the round kicks off at 4:45pm as Al Shaab host Al Jazira at the Khaled Bin Mohammed Stadium. In a tight league, Al Jazira, who drew at home to Dubai in the last round, sit just three points off 3rd place, however Al Shaab’s standing in the table will remain unchanged regardless of the result.

A 4:50pm kick-off at the Al Nahyan Stadium will see Al Dhafra travel to Abu Dhabi to take on Al Wahda. Both teams will be seeking the opportunity to bounce back from respective losses in Round 10, with Al Wahda on the receiving end of a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Ajman, and Al Dhafra going down 3-1 at home to Bani Yas. The hosts will miss the efforts of their first choice striker Ismaeil Matar due to a knee injury. The player was back last week from Germany where he underwent medical treatment. His absence will also continue in his team’s two upcoming matches against Al Ain and Al Jazira in the 12th and 13th rounds.

 

The headline fixture of Round 11 comes at 8pm on Wednesday as 2nd-placed Bani Yas take on League leaders Al Ain at the Bani yas Stadium. In what is set to be a hotly contested game, Al Ain will be looking to widen the gap at the top to six points with an away win, but with Bani Yas’ formidable home record this will not be an easy task for the visitors. The visitors will play full team while the hosts will face their opponents without their dynamic left fullback Yousef Jaber due to suspension. A win in this game will see Bani Yas going on top of the standings on head-to-head match win, but with equal points with Al Ain. On an individual level, the League’s top scorer, Asamoah Gyan, will want to add to his tally of 18 goals to extend his lead further over Al Ahli’s Grafite, who has scored 16 to date.

 

The other 8pm kick-off sees Al Nasr meet Ajman at the Al Maktoum Stadium. The 9th -placed travelling side comes into the game off the back of an impressive 4-2 victory over Al Wahda in Round 10, whilst Al Nasr - currently sitting in third - will hope to go one better than their away point achieved in the 2-2 draw at Al Ahli with a win this round. The home squad will miss their defender Hilal Saeed who was shown the red card in the 10th round match against Al Ahli.

The first of Thursday’s three games kicks off at 4:40pm between bottom-of-the-table Kalba and 10th - placed Al Shabab at Kalba Union Sports & Cultural Club Stadium. Kalba, playing for pride at this stage of the season, would double their total points tally for the season with a victory. Meanwhile Al Shabab, currently one of three clubs sitting on 11 points, could jump as high as 7th position on goal difference if they are able to record an emphatic win.

Round 11’s penultimate match will take place at Rashid Stadium as Al Ahli welcome second-from-bottom Dibba Al Fujairah at 4:45pm. With just 4 points from 10 games it will be a tough trip for the visiting side, and Al Ahli will be looking to get back to winning ways after letting two points slip upon conceding a late equaliser when they entertained Al Nasr in Round 10.

Concluding Round 11 of the Etisalat Pro League, Al Wasl will pay a visit to the Dubai Sports & Cultural Club Stadium at 8pm to take on 7th - placed Dubai. With just one point separating the two teams in the League, Al Wasl would leapfrog their opponents with an away win, so it is certain to be a fiercely competitive match.