Thursday’s enticing encounter between champions Sharjah and porous Al Wasl has been livened up by the probable Arabian Gulf League-return of electrifying Foreign Player of the Year Igor Coronado.
Coronado, 27, has been absent in the top flight since he picked up an injury in late December. The sensational Brazilian playmaker’s absence saw the King’s results enter a tailspin, losing first place to pacesetters Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club with one win during their last six top-flight fixtures.
The man with seven assists and goals in nine 2019/20 AGL matches, however, came off the substitutes’ bench during Saturday’s President’s Cup quarter-final triumph against Ittihad Kalba. Anticipation now surrounds whether he will start versus eight-placed opponents, who’ve conceded 12 times in their last three matches in all competitions, when the top flight resumes after a three-week break.
“Igor Coronado is with the group and his participation depends on his fitness,” said Sharjah boss Abdulaziz Al Anbari ahead of round 17’s ‘Match of the Week’.
“We had strong matches in Asia and Igor’s absence forced us to change our style.
“The players need to focus so that we can achieve the desired result. Our matches with Al Wasl are always tough, because they are a strong team even if its results in the league haven’t reflected this.
“Al Wasl deserve everyone’s respect and I hope we will be successful in handling the match.”
In addition to the excitement on pitch, the UAE Pro League FanZone at Sharjah Stadium will offer fun and competitive challenges. You can also indulge in delicious snacks from one of the premium food truck partners located at the stadium.
Visit Platinumlist.net throughout 2019/20 to purchase Arabian Gulf League tickets
Shabab Al Ahli, meanwhile, are in the unique position of leading the way in the table, yet being gripped by crisis.
A staggering loss of form in 2020 has witnessed them lose the Arabian Gulf Cup final to Al Nasr, be beaten in both 2020 AFC Champions League group matches and go winless in two top-flight matches. Their five-point advantage is set to come under renewed threat by ninth-placed Bani Yas, who dished out a 1-0 reversal in Friday’s President’s Cup last-eight tie.
Assistant coach Diego Markic, standing in for suspended No1 Rodolfo Arruabarrena, declared he expected a response at Bani Yas Stadium, despite the players enduring “a sensitive time”.
He said: “We are playing a difficult game against a strong team and we hope to provide a better match than the previous match against Bani Yas. The team is in a sensitive time after successive losses and we are not used to it.
“But we are all confident in the players returning to winning ways.”
Nasr coach Krunoslav Jurcic has declared there “is no room for excuses” when his slumping side host resurgent Al Wahda.
The Blue Wave have lost three and drawn one of their AGL fixtures since they defeat Shabab Al Ahli in last month’s AG Cup final. Alvaro Negredo and his team-mates will need to rediscover their best form at Al Maktoum Stadium on Thursday versus visitors who’ve stormed up to third thanks to a five-match winning run in the top flight.
Brace yourselves 🔥#MatchOfTheWeek is coming ☄️@SharjahFC @AlWaslSC #AGLeague
— Arabian Gulf League (@AGLeague_EN) February 25, 2020
“Al Wahda are a completely different competitor from the first meeting,” said animated ex-Croatia midfielder Jurcic.
“We’ve also taken advantage of the layoff to recharge the players physically and mentally. There is no room for excuses.”
Wahda are sweating on the fitness of UAE internationals Ismail Matar and Mohammed Al Menhali.
Second-placed Al Ain will look to prolific Togo striker Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba when they travel to promoted Hatta.
The Togo striker leads the scoring charts on 17 goals, a number bolstered by scoring seven times in his last four run-outs. Hatta, however, defeated Kalba 1-0 last time out to escape the relegation zone.
Elsewhere on Thursday, Al Dhafra will aim to continue their remarkable campaign at struggling Ajman.
The Western Knights sit sixth in the standings and are into the President’s Cup last-four. Ajman have won just one of their last five top-flight fixtures to sit 10th.
Inconsistent Al Jazira should swat aside bottom-placed Khor Fakkan, while Friday’s remaining match has intense pressure surrounding it in the ‘relegation six pointer’ between Fujairah – with Italian Fabio Viviani now at the helm – and Kalba.
Throughout the season, organisers the UAE Pro League are giving back to the fans – and this round’s matches are no different. There will be a raffle at the end of the first half of each contest, with smartphones, tablets and smart watches being gifted to the winners after the final whistle.
Meanwhile, lucky supporters at select games will get their hands on one of the 30 brand-new Audi A3 cars that will have been raffled out to loyal AGL supporters throughout this season.
In order to be eligible for future raffles, fans must register and purchase tickets through the official ticketing platform at PlatinumList.net.
