Shabab Al Ahli bid to tighten grip on top spot

Mohammad Abdullah, Senior Sports Reporter

Table-toppers Shabab Al Ahli will look to bounce back from the disappointment of the loss against Hatta in the ADIB quarter-final when they meet Al Nasr in their Pro League match at 7:30Pm kick off on Friday.

Al Wasl and Hatta will kick-start the Round 6 of the Pro League at the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium while Al Bataeh and Ajman will face off at the Khalid Bin Mohammed Stadium simultaneously on Friday.

Both the matches will get under way at 4:30 to be followed by the Shabab Al Ahli and Al Nasr match, which will be played at the Rashid Stadium. Al Wahda will take on Ittihad Kalba at Al Nahyan Stadium at 7:30pm.

Leaders Shabab Al Ahli have a chance consolidate their position on the top of the table with a victory against Al Nasr. Shabab Al Ahli are unbeaten in the League so far and have procured 13 points with four wins and one draw under the new coach Marko Nikolic of Serbia.

Nikolic said they are confident of winning the game against Al Nasr and run away with three points to strengthen their position on the top of the table.

“We had a busy week during which we were keen to continue training. Football becomes easy when you train well, which means that you will play well. The match will not be easy, and it is a continuation of the strong and difficult matches in the league,” said Nikolic.

Shabab Al Ahli player Yahya Al Ghassani said they will fight to remain on the top of the standings.

“We are keen to fight to maintain the top spot in the standing. I want to thank to the fans for their continuous support, which motivates them to give their best in every match and fight to get the three points,” said Ghassani.

Al Nasr coach Goran Tufegdzic apprised about the team's preparations for the match. He was accompanied by the captain Adel Taarabt.

"Our team has had sufficient time to prepare, and everyone is ready and motivated for the match, especially since it's the old Dubai derby. I am optimistic."

He continued, "We respect Shabab Al Ahli, and I have confidence in the players' ability to achieve a good result. I expect them to be a strong opponent, especially considering our improving performance in the league."

Taarabt spoke about the upcoming match, confirming the team's readiness to play.  He also predicted a tough match.

He said, "Shabab Al Ahli is a good team, and the match will be tough. We believe in ourselves and our abilities. I hope we deliver a good performance and give our all to secure a victory in the match. I also hope for the presence of the fans to support the team."

Meanwhile, Al Wasl, who are brimming with confidence, have a chance to climb up the standings and move to the second spot provisionally as Al Ain, who are one place adrift of the leaders Shabab Al Ahli, are not in action until Saturday.

Al Wasl coach Milos Milojevic said they are wary of Hatta, who can be very dangerous on a given day.

“We will be meeting Hatta for the third time in this season in such a short period of time. It is not an easy task and we must be prepared well for this challenge.

“We need to maintain the same fighting spirit against Hatta, which we showed against Shabab Al Ahli in ADIB Cup quarter-finals. We will miss the services of Soufian Bouftini and Ali Saleh. But we have players who can fill up for them,” said Milojevic.

Al Wasl had defeated Shabab Al Ahli 3-2 in the ADIB quarter-final first leg match. They also defeated Hatta 7-0 in their previous match of the Pro League.

Meanwhile, the UAE Pro League on Thursday announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC), to bolster sustainability practices and decarbonise electricity consumption through the wider adoption of Clean Energy Certificates (CECs) across the UAE Pro League competitions.

The MoU was signed at EWEC’s headquarters by Abdullah Naser Al Jneibi, Chairman of the UAE Pro League, and Hamad Al Hammadi, Chairman of EWEC. Musabbeh Al Kaabi, Executive Director, Low Carbon Solutions and International Growth, ADNOC, and representatives from the three organisations, also attended the signing ceremony.