The matches of the 22nd round of the ADNOC Professional League continue today with four matches, and at 18:05 pm the matches of Ittihad Kalba with the Emirates, and Al-Ain with Khor Fakkan, while at 20:45 Shabab Al-Ahly will host Sharjah, and Al-Bataeh will face Al-Wasl.
Shabab Al-Ahly, runner-up (43 points), faces a difficult confrontation against its guest, Sharjah, as the “Knights” seeks to maintain pressure on leaders Al-Wasl (52 points), and reduce the point difference. The loss of Shabab Al-Ahly would pave the way for Al-Wasl to win the league title for the eighth time in its history, and equal the number of times Shabab Al-Ahly has been crowned.
As for Sharjah, which is in sixth place with 31 points, it enters the match with the aim of adjusting its position in the ranking list, and seeks to “repay the debt” to Shabab Al-Ahly, which it defeated in the Super Cup by six goals to two, and in the quarter-finals of the President’s Cup by four goals to three, after they tied. In the first leg in the league, with a goal for each.
Al-Bataeh worries Al-Wasl
Al-Wasl faces a risky confrontation when it visits Al-Bataeh, as Al-Wasl hopes to take a new step towards the league title, while Al-Raqi has 26 points in seventh place.
“The Panthers” are seeking to return to victories, after stumbling in the 21st round by tying at home with Al-Jazira with two goals for each team. As for Al-Bataeh, they will play the match without any pressure, especially since the team has reached the safe zone away from the threat of relegation in the last positions of the league, and is playing with the aim of improving. His position on the rankings list in his second participation in the professional league, where he ranked 12th last season.
On the other hand, the Emirates team is engaged in a fateful confrontation away from home against Kalba, as it is the “last chance” for the “Falcons” to move away from the 13th place that relegates them to the first division league, especially since it has 11 points in its tally, while the “Tigers” aims to win a victory. His position is to remain in the league, as he has 21 points in 11th place.
In a fourth match, Khor Fakkan will play its match at Al Ain Stadium, after agreeing to move it from its stadium, to support Al Ain in its preparations for the first leg of the AFC Champions League final, next Saturday, against its Japanese host, Yokohama. The match against Khorfakkan, which is in 12th place with 20 points, will be the best preparation for Al Ain for the Asian challenge, after Al-Zaeem, which is in third place with 36 points, lost the opportunity to compete for the league shield.
• Al-Wasl leads the league by 9 points from Shabab Al-Ahly II, and 6 matches remain for each team until the end of the season.
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