Professional League.. Al Wasl and Al Jazira to compensate for the stumbling start and Al Nasr to confirm the awakening

The second round of the ADNOC Professional League matches will be held on Thursday and Friday before the league is suspended due to the international participation of the Whites. During the round matches, which do not witness any strong confrontations or derbies, Al Wasl, the title holder, is looking to overcome its stumbling block in the opening draw against Ittihad Kalba, when it hosts the newly promoted Dibba Al-Hisn, on Thursday, in the second stage of the UAE Football League.

Al Wasl looked set to beat hosts Kalba at the start of their title defence campaign when they took a 2-1 lead thanks to a brace from top scorer Fabio Lima until the ninth minute of stoppage time, before defender Mohammed Abdul Salam scored the equaliser to make it 2-2 for the home side.

Dibba Al-Hisn suffered a heavy loss against Sharjah 1-4, after paying a heavy price for the expulsion of its Guinean player Ibrahima Cisse in the 22nd minute.

Like Al Ain, Al Nasr achieved the biggest win in the first stage after beating its host Al Oruba 5-1, but it will face a strong test when it hosts Bani Yas on Thursday, the surprise winner over Al Jazira 2-0.

The league will be suspended due to the UAE national team playing two matches against Qatar and Iran on September 6 and 10, respectively, in the first and second rounds of the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Sharjah hosts its neighbor Kalba with the ambition of avenging its loss of the League Cup title to it last season, losing 2-3 in the first leg of the quarter-finals and 1-2 in the second leg.

On Thursday, Al Jazira, led by its new Moroccan coach Hussein Ammouta, will also play against Al Orouba to compensate for its surprising opening loss against Bani Yas 0-2, while on Friday, Shabab Al Ahli and Al Wahda will visit Ajman and Khorfakkan respectively, after they achieved victory in the first stage against Al Bataeh 2-1 and Ajman 1-0.

Despite its continental brilliance and winning the AFC Champions League title for the second time, Al Ain struggled locally and came out empty-handed from all tournaments, but its performance against Khorfakkan confirmed its desire to compete strongly in its favorite tournament, which it holds the record for with 14 titles. The leader will also be a heavy guest on Dibba Al-Hisn, the dark horse of last season, in a difficult match.