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Etisalat Pro League Round 14 (rescheduled) Preview

Having been postponed in January due to the UAE national team’s Gulf Cup triumph, Round 14 of the Etisalat Pro League will at last be played on Friday 5th and Saturday 6th April to get all 14 teams back up to date with their fixtures. The rescheduled round has thrown up some very interesting clashes and we are sure to be in for another action-packed two days.

The first game of the rescheduled Round 14 gets underway at 5:45pm on Friday evening as Dubai travel to Dibba Al Fujairah’s Fujairah Stadium. Dibba Al Fujairah’s Round 20 game last weekend was also at home, but they couldn’t make the advantage count as they lost 1-0 to Al Wahda. Dubai also lost their last match, going down 2-1 at Ajman, to continue their perplexingly poor run of form in the second half of the season. With Dibba Al Fujairah sitting second from bottom on 11 points and Dubai slipping down the standings to 11th place with 19 points, it’s a must-win game for both teams as they fight to secure safety.

At 5:50pm Ajman host Al Dhafra at the Rashid bin Saeed Stadium, with Ajman entering the game brimming with confidence. Abdulwahab Abdulkader’s team followed up their impressive Etisalat Cup semi-final victory with a win over Dubai in Round 20 of the Etisalat Pro League, moving them up to 10th place and getting further away from the dreaded drop zone. Al Dhafra sit two positions higher but only two points separate the sides, so a win for Ajman could see them leapfrog their opponents. Ajman’s captain, prolific striker Boris Kabi, will be hoping to fire home some more goals to add to his personal tally of 17 for the season, currently putting him third in the top scorers list behind Asamoah Gyan and Grafite.

The first of Friday night’s late kick-offs sees Al Wahda host Al Wasl at the Al Nahyan Stadium, starting at 8:30pm. Both teams picked up three points on their travels in the previous round, with Al Wahda winning 1-0 at Dibba Al Fujairah and Al Wasl securing a surprise 3-2 away victory at Al Jazira, giving Eid Baroot’s men a morale boost, as they try to end what has been a disappointing season on somewhat of a high note. Al Wahda are currently 6th with 31 points and still have an outside chance of finishing in the top four, whilst Al Wasl are a lowly 9th by their standards, with 23 points. Friday’s fourth game also kicks off at 8:30pm at the Khaled bin Mohamed Stadium as Al Shaab are visited by Kalba in a bottom-of-the-table clash. The two relegation-threatened sides will be fighting for their lives to stay in the League, as Al Shaab hover dangerously above the drop zone in 12th position with 11 points, and Kalba are currently propping up the table in 14th with 10 points. Both teams lost their Round 20 games, with Kalba going down 1-0 at Al Dhafra and Al Shaab losing 2-0 at Al Ahli, so a win is vital for both sides.

At 5:50pm on Saturday, the weekend’s biggest match at the top of the table kicks off between 2nd-placed Al Ahli and League leaders Al Ain at the Rashid Stadium in Dubai. Al Ahli moved up into second on 39 points following their 2-0 home win over Al Shaab in the last round, whilst Al Ain continued to maintain their 10-point gap at the top by beating Al Shabab 2-1 in Round 20, followed by success in the AFC Champions League on Wednesday with a 2-1 win over Qatari team Al Rayyan. The home side have developed great attacking potency under Spanish head coach Quique Flores, whilst Al Ain are always a strong force to be reckoned with as they defend their Etisalat Pro League title.

At 5:55pm, Bani Yas will play host to Al Shabab as both teams fight for a top-four finish. Round 20 saw Bani Yas surrender second place in the League as they lost 2-1 at Al Nasr, and in midweek they were held to a 1-1 home draw against Al Faisaly of Saudi Arabia in the GCC Cup, so Josef Chovanec’s men will be looking to get back to winning ways as they try to move up the table again from their current 3rd place. Meanwhile Al Shabab have faced a tough schedule of late, losing 2-1 to the reigning champions Al Ain in Round 20, but they recorded a spirited 1-0 win over Al Ettifaq in the AFC Champions League on Wednesday night, which will take them into the trip to the Bani Yas Stadium in high spirits as they try to regain pace having slipped to 7th in the League.

Concluding Round 14’s rescheduled action, Al Jazira visit the Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai to take on Al Nasr. Both teams were in midweek AFC Champions League action, with Al Nasr losing 4-2 at home to Qatar’s Al Gharafa on Tuesday night and Al Jazira being defeated 3-1 away at El Jaish in Qatar on the same evening. Al Nasr did, however, record a positive result at home in the League last weekend, beating Bani Yas 2-1, whereas Luis Milla’s Al Jazira didn’t fare so well in their Round 20 home fixture, losing 3-2 at the hands of Al Wasl. 5th-placed Al Nasr could go level on 35 points with their 4th-placed opponents if they can beat the visiting team on Saturday, so both sides will be looking to gain maximum return from the game.