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Etisalat Pro-League Back as Battle for Championship Heats Up

After a 41-day break of the Etisalat Pro-League following the end of the first half of the season and the participation of UAE Senior Team in the AFC Asian Cup, the 12 professional teams are back again to continue their title fight for the championship starting tonight, Thursday February 3rd . Two encounters will be played tonight, with Dubai hosting Al Ain at 5:20pm and Al Nasr facing the leaders Al Jazira at Al Maktoum Stadium at 8:15pm. The competition will continue on Friday when Al Ahli play at home against Al Dhafra, kick off at 5:20pm and Al Wahda meet Al Wasl at 8:15pm. The round will be concluded on Saturday with two games when Sharjah take on Kalba, kick off at 5:20pm and Bani Yas face home team Al Shabab at 8:15pm.

The competing squads have completed their preparations in the last few weeks for this decisive round, as some hope to better their positions and enter the title race, whilst others are fighting to avoid relegation to the 1st Division. Most of the teams also have key players back from National duty.

With the January transfer window now closed, 13 new players, most of them from Brazil, were registered with UFL clubs after signing contracts on loan bases. They will replace other players who have been dismissed by their clubs. Al Wahda and Sharjah are the only two teams who have stuck with their existing squads.

Al Ain, led by their new Brazilian coach Alexander Gallo, will open the program this week when they travel this evening to Dubai before they face their hosts Dubai Club. The game is considered the official debut for Gallo in the Etisalat Pro-League Competition, who has led the team in the three previous Etisalat Cup matches. Al Ain are currently sitting in 10th spot with 11 points after winning in only two games, drawing five and losing four. But their hosts are second from the bottom with 9 points, which they collected from three wins. Dubai and Bani Yas are the only teams who did not maintain a draw through the entire first round. Al Ain will have the support of their new Brazilian player Elias Ribeiro, but the team's coach announced in a press conference that he may not be able to play full time due to lack of fitness. This is also the case for Al Ain's new goalie Ismail Rabei, who transferred from Al Nasr to Al Ain and will start on the bench for this match.

Al Jazira's leadership will be tested when they meet Al Nasr in the second match of the day at Al Nasr's home ground. The visitors have 29 points which see them on top of the standings, and they remain the only team who have not lost a single match after winning nine games and drawing twice. Al Jazira have added to their squad list Khamis Ismail of Emirates Club and Brazilian player Ricardo de Oliveira who has returned from his loan with Sao Paolo in Brazil. Al Nasr are in 5th place with 16 points, 13 behind their rivals.  Al Nasr registered Brazilian player Rodrigo in the last moments of the registration period that came to an end last Thursday. They also showed interest in Al Ain ex-player Sand from Argentina, but Sand decided to leave the UAE to sign a six-month contract on a loan bases with Deportivo La Coruna in Spain for 500,000 EURO.

The Al Nasr vs Al Jazira match will be broadcast with English Commentary on Abu Dhabi Sport 1 tonight.

The matches of the round will continue on Friday when Al Ahli host Al Dhafra at home, and Al Wahda face Al Wasl at their ground in Abu Dhabi. Al Ahli are in 3rd position with 17 points, six points ahead of their rivals who are in 9th place with 11 points. They signed Kareem Al Ahmadi from Morocco to replace Bance who was transferred to the Qatari club Umm Salal on loan bases. Al Ahli also registered Abdul Aziz Haikal of Al Shabab club along with Al Nasr midfielder Mohammed Ibrahim, Al Wahda have 15 points and are in the 7th spot, while Al Wasl are in 4th position, two points ahead of their hosts.

In the concluding day of play on Saturday, Sharjah will play at home against last placed Kalba, and Al Shabab who are currently in 6th position will travel to Abu Dhabi to tackle Bani Yas, currently in the 2nd spot.