Hot battles in store in AGL final round

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Hot battles in store in AGL final round
Al Wahda' s Jorge Valdivia and Sharjah's Shaheen Abdulrahman vie for the ball during the AGL tie in Sharjah on Friday.

Published: Sat 7 May 2016, 9:56 PM

Last updated: Sat 7 May 2016, 11:59 PM

The tussle for the third and fourth slots and the battles to fight off relegation are going to be the keys issues on hand when the final round, the 26th, takes place in the Arabian Gulf League tonight.
Al Wahda with 40 points in their kitty are in third place and take on Abu Dhabi rivals Baniyas, who are in ninth spot, at home. Defence has been a key factor in the Clarets' campaign this year and before the final round, Korean defender Chang Woo Rim, said: "Playing away in Sharjah was a good crossover 1-1 draw last week for us in our attempts to try cementing the third place in the league this season. We have good solid men front and back and three points are ours if we can remain focused more over longer periods."
Al Wasl have 39 points to be placed fourth, did well in their last outing for three points at home against Dibba. "After 90 minutes we will know if we finish third, fourth, fifth or sixth. We need to win this match only for our result, and to finish the season in a fantastic position," Argentine coach Gabriel Calderon, said, while mentioning the missed opportunities his side has suffered throughout the season.
 Playing against their Dubai rivals Al Shabab away, is going to be a tough proposition in a crucial match for the Cheetahs. Calderon added: "This match is very difficult for both teams but I have confidence that my team will do our best and take the three points. We made many mistakes and dropped points needlessly throughout the season, but still we have it in our hands that if we win our match we can finish as high as third if other results go our way."
Captain of sixth placed Al Shabab (37 points) Carlos Villanueva said: "They (Al Wasl) are a very compact team, they play close in defence and don't give space, and their midfielders hold their positions very well so creating chances against them is difficult. Still our hope is to finish third or fourth."
Caio Junior, the Shabab coach, said: "Now we are here for our last game together, but this is football and we need to understand. I am not happy with some situations but I am happy with the job I have done. Sunday (today) will be my 80th game with Al Shabab, and our numbers and statistics have been very good. We can still finish third or fourth; to be in this position with the possibility to finish so high up after the many problems we have had this season is very good. We respect Al Wasl and it will be a difficult game; we have played them three times in the past two seasons and achieved three draws." Star Shabab player Caio Junio said: "I am sad that Carlos Villanueva will be out of his last game for the club due to injury, after seven seasons of amazing service for Al Shabab."
Fifth placed Al Nasr (38 points) have a big task against 13th placed Fujairh (26 points). Fujairah have an outside chance of finishing above the last two berths in the 14-team league. Experienced Al Nasr defender Esam Dhahi said: "We are fully focused on facing Fujairah, all our thinking is on this match and how to win because we can still finish third. We have to win the game first and then look at other teams' results to know which position we can finish in," he said, adding: "We have to think about winning first of all, we know that Fujairah will be focused on the match because it is their last chance to save themselves but we cannot think about other teams."
Eleventh placed Sharjah (27 points) lock horns with 10th berthed Dibba (28 points) in another crucial match as far as relegation is concerned.  Al Shaab who play 2016 champions al Ahli away, have already been relegated with a poor seven points in their account. - moni@khaleejtimes.com

By Moni Mathews

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