Al Ain and Al Wasl.. Classico “Elite”

At eight o’clock this evening, all eyes will turn towards Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, which will be the stage for the confrontation between Al Ain and its guest Al Wasl in the opening of the fourth round of the ADNOC Professional Football League, in a popular “Classico” promising fun and a strong rehearsal for the two teams before turning the local page and opening the “Clasico”. “Asian” in the matches of the second round of the AFC Champions League (Elite), in which “Al-Zaeem” will face its host Al-Gharafa of Qatar, while “The Emperor” will receive its guest Al-Ahly. Saudi Arabia, led by its English star, Ivan Toney. Both teams are in a state of stability, as Al Ain occupies seventh place with four points (they have a postponed match against Kalba), and will go into the match ecstatic to qualify for the second round of the Confederations Cup by defeating New Zealand’s Auckland 6-2, while Al Wasl rose to third place. With seven points, after coming from a goal down to win 3-1 over its neighbor Al-Nassr in the “Bur Dubai Derby.”

Any result other than a victory over Al Wasl in today’s match will double the pressure on Argentine coach Hernan Crespo, who despite his good results since the beginning of the season, his popularity is still low among a group of fans of his team Al Ain, which may change in the event of a victory over the defending champion in today’s match.

While it was confirmed that midfielder Yahya Nader and centre-back Khaled Al Hashemi were officially absent from the match, doubts still loom over the position of striker Laba Kodjo and defender Kwame Otui, due to their lack of complete readiness.

For his part, Argentine coach Crespo said in the press conference before the match: “What Al Ain needs to win is readiness,” stressing at the same time that “the match will not be easy,” adding: “It will be a strong match. They are the champions of the competition, and a team that is difficult to face.” Our opponent is a big team, and they are playing well. The match is in our stadium and in front of our fans, and we are also at a good level, and the morale of our team is high, especially after the previous match in the Confederations Cup, and we must give our fans victory over Al-Wasl.”

On the other hand, the “Emperor” with his distinguished Serbian coach, Milos Milojevic, who is seeking to defend his title, is preparing for a match that is not without difficulty, and he has demonstrated high technical capabilities by building a homogeneous squad, in which the sources of danger are varied, and capable of turning the tables at any time by investing halves. Opportunities.

The Serbian coach lavished praise on the Al Ain team in the press conference before the confrontation, saying: “Al Ain is the best team in the league, and our team must go to the field and give its best, and the degree of concentration and enthusiasm must be high, in order to achieve a positive result,” adding: “The previous matches have become a thing of the past, and we have turned the page on them, and we must focus on today’s match.”

In the other confrontation, the Sharjah team, which leads the standings with a “full mark”, will be a heavy guest on its neighbor Al-Bataeh at 17:20 this afternoon at Khalid bin Mohammed Stadium, in a match that was not devoid of competition, and while the landowners had regained their balance in The last round, with an away victory over Dibba Al-Hisn 2-1, and reaching the fourth point in eighth place, “The King” is experiencing a state of stability with its victory in the first three rounds of the competition, which enabled it to Remaining in the lead on goal difference over Shabab Al-Ahly.