Stung by a goalless draw at home to Kalba last week, Cosmin Olaroiu has warned Al Ahli they can ill afford to haemorrhage points if they are to keep pace with the Arabian Gulf League’s early leaders.
The defending champions are in fourth place and four points behind joint table-toppers Al Jazira and Al Wasl.
Thursday night, Al Ahli meet Baniyas, who endured a 6-0 humiliation against Emirates last week, but Olaroiu is wary of a backlash from the basement side.
“Regardless where they stand in the league, every opponent we meet gets extra motivated for the simple fact that they are playing against the champions,” the manager said.
“Baniyas will be no different. They are struggling now but they can produce a game like Kalba or even better. So we need to find solutions to return with the three points.”
Ahli will also be without their Brazilian playmaker Everton Ribeiro, who is serving a one-match ban for a red card offence in the last game.
“Obviously the absence of any key player, particularly someone like Ribeiro, in the line-up is a big blow,” the Romanian said. “It’s not easy to find a substitute equivalent for a player like Ribeiro.
“But then again such things are not unusual in football. We need to look at the bigger picture. We have a 22-player squad to choose from and we’ll try to get the best combination.”
Jose Gomes, the Baniyas manager, has put his team’s previous result behind him and is looking ahead to Thursday’s home game.
“We are in a team-building process,” the Portuguese pointed out. “We have a good programme and I’m confident the results to follow.
“We are up against a tough opponent and don’t underrate us.”
In Thursday’s other games, Al Ain travel to Kalba and Jazira will look to bounce back from their first league defeat of the season — at the hands of Al Nasr — when they visit Al Dhafra at the Hamdan bin Zayed Stadium.
Al Wasl are at home to the promoted Hatta.
Al Ain are expected to return with full points despite being depleted at the back with five of their defenders, including UAE internationals Mohanad Salem and Mohammed Fayez, absent.
However, they will be bolstered in attack by the return of Brazilian Douglas and Colombian Danilo Asprilla, who missed their 3-0 victory over Sharjah last week.
Al Ain are third in the table, just three points behind the joint leaders, but they have played just nine games while Jazira have played 11 and Wasl 12.
Jazira manager Henk ten Cate has suggested going into the new year at the top of the table was not his priority at the moment.
“The important thing for us is the three points from Dhafra,” Ten Cate said. “They are a physically strong side with two danger men — Makhete Diop and Omar Khrbin — to watch for.”
The Dutchman, though, is pleased with how the season has panned out for his side, barring last week’s setback.
“We are quite proud of our work as we got beat only once in 17 matches in both the league and cup competitions.”
Thursday’s fixtures
• Kalba v Al Ain, 4.45pm
• Al Dhafra v Al Jazira, 4.55pm
• Al Wasl v Hatta, 8pm
• Baniyas v Al Ahli, 8pm
Friday’s fixtures
• Sharjah v Dibba, 4.50pm
• Al Nasr v Emirates, 8pm
• Al Wahda v Al Shabab, 8pm
Matches televised on AD Sports
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The flights
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Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Cricket World Cup League 2
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Fixtures
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh289,000
