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Etisalat Pro League Round 17 Preview: Plenty to Play for

After last weekend’s excitement and entertainment in the Pro League, there is no time for teams to rest on their laurels as Round 17 takes place on Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd February. Competition is hotting up as the season progresses, and clubs are feeling the pressure at both ends of the table as they try to accumulate as many points as possible to achieve their respective targets.

Thursday’s first kick off sees second-from-bottom side Kalba host Al Nasr at the Kalba Union Sports & Cultural Club Stadium in Sharjah at 5:25pm. Both sides will be looking to bounce back from defeats in the previous round, as Al Nasr attempt to regain 5th spot after slipping a place following a late home loss to Al Shabab, whilst Kalba are in desperate need of points to add to their current total of 7 as they bid to escape relegation.

At 5:30pm, League leaders Al Ain will welcome Dibba Al Fujairah to the Tahnon Bin Mohamed Stadium in a top-versus-bottom clash. Though the teams are poles apart, with Al Ain sitting pretty in first place on 40 points, and Dibba Al Fujairah last on 7 points, the relegation battlers may be able to raise their game and spring a surprise in a fixture which they won’t be expected to get anything from. However, Al Ain’s stars are sure to make it a tough task for them, and top scorer Asamoah Gyan may get his first start since returning from the African Cup of Nations, as he made a substitute appearance for his club side in their 3-0 win against Al Dhafra in Round 16; a game in which he failed to find the back of the net for the first time after 16 consecutive scoring appearances.

Second-placed Al Jazira will kick off against Al Dhafra at 8:15pm on Thursday; a game which will take place at the Abu Dhabi club’s Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium. Al Jazira secured a 4-2 victory at Ajman in the last round to keep up their chase with Al Ain, although the leaders have a nine-point cushion. Al Dhafra are facing their second tough game in as many weeks, and will be hoping to fare better against the team ranked 2nd in the League than they did at home to first-placed Al Ain last Thursday, although they will be missing three key players who are on loan from Al Jazira and ineligible for the fixture: Khalid Al Sinani, Waleid Al Yammahi and Abdulrahem Jumaa.

Also at 8:15pm on Thursday, two Dubai-based clubs will meet at the Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium as Al Shabab host Al Ahli. Both teams have been in excellent form of late, with Al Shabab currently on a 12-game unbeaten run, winning their last seven games in a row, whilst Al Ahli demolished neighbours Al Wasl 4-0 in the last round. Al Ahli sit in 4th place, four points ahead of opponents Al Shabab, so the result of this match could have a big say in the race for Champions League qualification, as both sides bid to finish in the top four.

Friday’s action sees the final three games of Round 17 take place, with Dubai kicking off against Al Wahda at 5:30pm at the Dubai Club Stadium. Al Wahda will miss the presence of defender Hamdan Al Kamali for the game, as he serves a one-match suspension following his red card against Kalba in the last round. Meanwhile Dubai will be looking to get last Friday’s 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Bani Yas out of their system with a positive home performance and result, and a win could see them switch places in the table with Al Wahda as only two points separate the sides in 7th and 8th places.

Also getting underway at 5:30pm is a fixture between Al Shaab and Bani Yas at the Khaled Bin Mohamed Stadium. Bani Yas were rampant in Round 16, putting five goals past Dubai with both their star January signings Mohamed Aboutrika and Christian Wilhelmsson opening their Pro League scoring accounts, so Al Shaab will have to be very defensively organised in order to nullify the attacking threat of their 3rd-placed opponents, although Bani Yas striker Andre Senghor will miss the match due to suspension for picking up three yellow cards. Al Shaab created some much-needed breathing space at the bottom of the table in the last round, opening up a three-point gap over fellow relegation contenders Kalba and Dibba Al Fujairah, so they will be hoping to continue pulling away from the danger zone with a positive result.

Concluding the round at 8:15pm on Friday, Al Wasl will play host to Ajman at the Zabeel Stadium in their first game after parting company with French coach Guy Lacombe on Sunday evening. Al Wasl’s new Emirati Head Coach Eid Baroot will take charge of the side for his first game and will be hoping to get off to a winning start in order to turn things around at the troubled club. However, an away win for Ajman would see them swap places to go above Al Wasl in the table, as the two teams are currently separated by two points in 9th and 10th positions.