With the Arabian Gulf League title race already run and relegation all but decided, the scrap for the third-and-final guaranteed AFC Champions League qualification spot is the main source of intrigue with three rounds remaining.
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Third-placed Al Wahda and fourth-placed Al Shabab are separated only because of the former’s superior head-to-head record, fifth-placed Al Wasl a distant seven points behind. The Hawks are the first in action, hosting resurgent Fujairah tonight ahead of tomorrow’s clash between Wahda and champions Al Ain.
Shabab have finished the last two seasons one place outside the final ACL qualification spot, a small-but-talented squad frustratingly limping over the line both times. The scenario appears to be repeating itself this term, as they have drawn two and lost one of their last three top-flight fixtures.
Team manager Obaid Madani declared it was time for his team to return to winning ways and make sure they avoid having to secure entry to the continent’s premier club competition through the lottery of the President’s Cup.
He said: “The Fujairah match is a really important one for us. We are playing on our pitch and we have not won for a few weeks now.
“There is still a chance we could secure second place and we are always looking to get into the AFC Champions League. We haven’t played in it for sometime now [since reaching the round of 16 in 2013] and it is a big motivation.”
Fujairah will provide tough opposition. The once-struggling side has looked rejuvenated following the appointment of Ivan Hasek as coach in December. Madani was full of praise for the Czech.
“Fujairah have really improved in recent weeks,” he said. “Hasek is a very clever coach and they will now play with no pressure.”
Top scorer Henrique Luvannor is welcomed back after serving a one-match suspension following his dismissal in the 2-2 draw against Al Wasl.
The Hawks will be without Rashid Hassan however, who travelled to Paris this week for surgery on a serious knee injury suffered in the 2-2 draw against Ajman on April 17. The problem is expected to sideline him for 10 months.
