Arabian Gulf League, top-six clashes light up matchweek 7
Matchweek 7 of the Arabian Gulf League season is set to be a fiery one with three of the six weekend games bringing the top six sides head to head while the bottom six face-off in the battle to escape the bottom of the table.
The action kicks-off at 16:50 on Thursday at Fujairah Stadium where seventh placed Dibba host second-bottom Hatta. The hosts aim to bounce back following last weekend's 2-3 defeat against Al Wasl while Hatta try to add to their three points after back-to-back defeats to Al Nasr and Al Jazira in their last two.
A historic rivalry is renewed in the Bur Dubai Derby which brings Al Nasr face-to-face against rivals Al Wasl at Rashid Stadium in the 19:45 kick-off. Al Nasr find themselves fifth in the table with ten points while their visitors top the table with 14 points and aim to continue their unbeaten start to the season.
Sharjah play their first home game at the Khaled bin Mohammed Stadium at 16:55 on Friday against Emieates. The hosts are revitalised under new coach Abdulaziz Al Anbari and have picked up two points from their last two games against stern opponents in Shabab Al Ahli and Al Ain. Despite the positive performances of later, Sharjah are still without a win in the league this season and will look to kick-start their season against tenth placed Emirates.
Abu Dhabi's Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium plays host to Al Jazira's game against Shabab Al Ahli at 19:45 on Friday. The reigning champions have stuttered this season and find themselves at sixth with eight points. They aim to build on their win last weekend at Hatta when they face fourth-placed Shabab Al Ahli who are going through a slump of form having failed to score in their previous two games.
Saturday's games start with Ajman's visit to Al Dhafra for the 17:00 kick-off at Hamdan bin Zayed Stadium. The Oranges have bounced back from four consecutive defeats to register back-to-back wins and move up to ninth place in the table, level with their Saturday hosts. The Western Knights suffered a 1-2 defeat at home against Al Nasr in matchweek 6 to freeze at six points.
The weekend's action concludes at Abu Dhabi's Al Nahyan Stadium where Al Wahda play host to arch-rivals Al Ain in the Saturday night fixture which kicks-off at 19:45. It is second vs third in the table as Al Wahda's draw at Shabab Al Ahli last weekend kept them a point behind Al Ain while the boss added a point to their tally with a 3-3 home draw against Sharjah to reach 14 points for the season.
