Sharjah shift focus to domestic tournament as AGL resumes

Mohammed Abdullah, Staff Reporter

After a stellar campaign at the AFC Champions League, a resilient Sharjah will look to emulate the same performance in the domestic tournament as the Arabian Gulf League (AGL) resumes on Monday.

Sharjah automatically qualified for the Round of 16 after emerging as the toppers of their group in the Asian Champions League (ACL).

Unlike the continental championship, Sharjah’s domestic campaign has been marred by a series of misfiring performances and injuries of late.  

A buoyant Sharjah will look to revive their AGL campaign with victory over bottom-placed Hatta. They will look to carry forward the ACL form into the domestic competition against the minnows, who have been fighting for their survival in the top flight.

“We are looking forward to build on the morale of the players after our performance in the ACL. We will like to continue the same rich vein of form.

“We will try to exploit the physical fitness and forms of the players, who are coming into the league afresh from ACL,” said Sharjah coach Abdulaziz Al Anbari.

Sharjah have quite a lot of catching-up work to do as they slipped to fourth spot owing to a series of underwhelming shows in the earlier rounds when their key players were absent due to injuries.

“All the remaining matches are of great importance for all teams as they are looking to end their campaign according to their aspirations. We are striving to achieve victories and reap the full points in all the remaining matches,” added Anbari.

“Hatta are a good team and they have always given us a tough fight. And what makes this contest more difficult is the desire of the opponents to avoid relegation,” said Anbari.

Hatta have just nine points in their kitty after two wins, three draws and 18 losses from their 23 outings. A win every game can still save their season.

Meanwhile, leaders Al Jazira, who are sitting at the top of the standings with 50 points, will look to extend their lead when they take on Ajman, who are 11 places adrift of them.

Al Jazira coach Marcel Keizer is upbeat with the prospect of returning to the action after a month’s break. He said the team is eager to face Ajman. With only three rounds remaining he is looking to tighten their grip on the top.

“We are very excited to return to action after a long break. Everyone is eager to play against our next opponents Ajman and beat them to collect all three points,” said Keizer.

“We are wary of Ajman’s fighting spirit and it will not be an easy game. They will play aggressive football as they want to climb up the standings and move to the safe zone. With all due respect to Ajman, I am confident that we can pull it off and return with all three points,” he added.

Keizer ruled out using any excuse in case of a setback by an unpredictable Ajman.

“We will not use the long break as an excuse for any upset we might suffer. A 30-day break in the league at this junction was a not a pleasant thing to happen as it breaks the momentum. But we accepted the challenge and I believe we handled it very well,” he added.

In the top of the table clash, second-placed Bani Yas will lock horns with Shabab Al Ahli, who are six points adrift and sitting at the third spot in the league. Bani Yas coach Daniel Isaila also said they are excited to be returning to the league after a long break.

“We return after a long break. We will look to continue with the same passion and form, which was exuded before going into the break,” said Isaila.

“We will strive to achieve all possible points in the upcoming match and we will see what happens at the league,” he added.

Bani Yas have emerged as a surprise package this year as they are keeping hot on the heels of Al Jazira. They trail the leaders by just one point and with three rounds remaining, the battle looks set to go down to the wire.

“The pressure will be on all the top teams, whether on it is Bani Yas or Al Jazeera. We must fight until the last breath in the league to compete for the title,” he explained.

He also predicted a tough match against Shabab Al Ahli, who have just returned form ACL.

“We know it will not be an easy match, as we have previously played with Shabab Al Ahli this season and we have not won yet. So we will try and break the jinx,” he concluded.