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Etisalat Pro League Round 24 Preview

With the season drawing to a close, Round 24 of the Etisalat Pro League will get started on Thursday 9th May as the fight for survival takes centre stage. A win for Al Shaab this round will guarantee the Sharjah-based club Pro League football next season and would condemn Dibba Al Fujairah to the drop, so it is set to be a crucial round at the bottom of the table.

Al Shaab do not have an easy task as they go in search of the three points they need to secure safety, with the third-from-bottom side travelling to the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi to take on 4th-placed Al Jazira at 7:35pm. Al Jazira’s League form has been poor in recent rounds and Luis Milla may go into the game with one eye on their Etisalat Cup Final match on Tuesday, which offers the Club a chance to secure some silverware this season.

Also kicking off at 7:35pm, Dibba Al Fujairah too face a difficult challenge as they will need to win against visitors Al Ahli at the Fujairah Stadium and hope that Al Shaab lose in order to keep their survival hopes alive. Al Ahli, who are flying high in 2nd place and return to Etisalat Pro League action having booked their place in the President’s Cup Final with a hard-fought win over Al Ain on Sunday, will prove daunting opponents for struggling Dibba, although they have put in some plucky performances against the big guns of late, defeating champions Al Ain and Al Wasl, and drawing away at Al Jazira.

8th-placed Al Dhafra host 7th-placed Al Wahda at the Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan Stadium at 7:35pm on Thursday, and with just two points separating the sides, a win for Laurent Banide’s team would see them leapfrog their opponents in the table. Al Dhafra’s last game ended in a 2-2 draw away at Bani Yas, whilst Al Wahda were on the receiving end of a 4-3 home defeat to Ajman in Round 23, signaling the end of Branko Ivankovic’s time at the Club. Josef Hickersberger has returned to Al Wahda for his third spell in charge as he looks to stop the rot, but the Austrian coach was helpless to stop his side from crashing out of the President’s Cup with a 2-0 semi-final defeat to Al Shabab on Monday night and will hope for better in his first League game since returning.

Ajman welcome Al Nasr to the Rashid bin Saeed Stadium at 7:35pm on Thursday, but Abdulwahab Abdulkader’s side also have the small matter of Tuesday’s upcoming Etisalat Cup Final against Al Jazira to consider. Ajman have little left to play for in the League, as they are safe in 10th place with 26 points, so they could be forgiven for allowing their focus to wander to their shot at winning a trophy. Al Nasr meanwhile are fighting for their highest possible finish in the League table this season, having bowed out of the AFC Champions League last week. Walter Zenga’s men currently sit 5th on 39 points and the fiery Italian will not allow any let-up for the remaining three games of the campaign. Al Nasr’s last League outing saw them lose 3-2 in injury time to Al Ahli, whilst Ajman were 4-3 victors over Al Wahda.

Having confirmed their place in the President’s Cup Final with a 2-0 win over Al Wahda on Monday night, as well as being the only UAE team to progress from the group stages to the final 16 of the AFC Champions League, Al Shabab’s season is still being fought on several different fronts. Marcos Paqueta has effectively rotated his squad to cope with the extra fixtures and at 7:35pm on Thursday they will return to Etisalat Pro League action as Kalba visit the Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium. With Kalba’s relegation already confirmed, there is little to play for but pride in this encounter.

Concluding Thursday evening’s action with a 7:35pm kick-off, Al Wasl host neighbours Dubai at the Zabeel Stadium, with both teams entering the Round 24 fixture off the back of draws. Al Wasl were pegged back to 2-2 at Kalba in the previous round, whilst Dubai ground out a gritty 1-1 draw at home to Al Jazira. It has been a disappointing campaign for Al Wasl, who sit 9th with 28 points, and Eid Baroot will be looking to build for a positive start to next season having had his interim position as coach made permanent. Dubai survived a bad dip in form during the second half of the season and are safe in 11th place with 24 points.

The final fixture of Round 24 will take place on Sunday 12th May at 6:10pm as Al Ain host Bani Yas at the Tahnoun bin Mohamed Stadium. The match has been moved in order to accommodate Bani Yas’ participation in the Gulf Clubs Championship 28 competition, as they will play the second leg of their semi-final against Saudi Arabian side Najran on Wednesday 8th May. With the Etisalat Pro League title already sewn up for Al Ain, and their hopes of winning any more silverware this season now ended having failed to progress out of the group stages in the AFC Champions League and being knocked out in the semi-final of the President’s Cup by Al Ahli on Sunday, there is little left to play for as Cosmin Olaroiu’s side come to the end of a long and hectic season. Bani Yas are 3rd in the Etisalat Pro League table and caretaker coach Salem Ali will be looking for a strong finish to the season.