Al Jazira attempt to climb back into the race in Group A tonight and the upstarts Emirates can reinforce their status as contenders in Group D tomorrow in Asian Champions League (ACL) play.
Jazira play Al Hilal of Riyadh in an interesting third-round match-up pitting the runaway leaders of the Pro League against the runaway leaders of the Saudi Premier League. The game begins at 9.45pm in the UAE.
Jazira have only one point from two ACL matches, and it is fair to wonder whether the Abu Dhabi side are giving their full attention to the continental club competition considering that they have never won the league or the President's Cup but are well-placed to secure a double this spring.
They lead the league by 10 points and need only four victories from their last seven matches to end 37 years of futility, and they can win the President's Cup on Monday when they play Al Wahda in the final.
Jazira were crushed 5-1 at Sepahan of Iran in their last ACL match.
Jazira's leaders have been their foreign contingent of Bare and Ricardo Oliveira, the Brazilian forwards, and the Argentine midfielder Matias Delgado. Ibrahim Diaky in midfield and the goalkeeper Ali Kasheif also are prominent.
Yasser al Qahtani, the captain, leads Al Hilal with 11 league goals while Christian Wilhelmsson, their Swedish forward has five.
Emirates, the Ras al Khaimah side who were relegated from the Pro League last season, are in the ACL because they are the holders of the President's Cup.
Like Jazira, they play in Saudi Arabia in the third round, at Al Shabab of Riyadh, in a match tomorrow which starts at 9.05pm UAE time.
Nabil Daoudi, the Moroccan forward, has two goals for Emirates, including the first score in the 2-0 shock victory over Al Rayyan of Qatar. The Algerian forward Karim Kerkar is the team captain.
Emirates are second in their group on three points, one ahead of Shabab, and a victory could put them on their way to a surprise berth in the knockout phase.
poberjuerge@thenational.ae
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
CREW
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MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
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The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
Price, base: Dh429,090
Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
Company%20profile
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million