Al Wasl face Al Shaab today in AGL

Dubai - Al Shaab coach Walter Zenga as usual is confident, ready to handle situations on a day to day basis, without talking much on the strategy to be followed.

Form is something the Cheetahs (Al Wasl), who take on Al Shaab today, have found difficult to maintain this season, and currently they lie fourth in the 14-team Arabian Gulf League national soccer championship with 27 points from 17 matches
After 17 rounds Al Ahli are second after their narrow Dubai derby victory last week over Al Wasl, two points short of champions Al Ain's 43, while bottom of the league Al Shaab's six points from 17 rounds make their relegation realities even bigger at this stage. Their woes have continued from day one, and the changes in coach and expertise, including players from abroad and here, have not helped matters after the mid stages. In third spot in the league are Al Nasr on 32 points.
Frayed tempers have not helped Al Wasl's campaign in recent times as was evident from their fixture against the Red Knights (Al Ahli) when dependable medio Hassan Zahran committed silly infringements in the later stages.
Goalkeeper Rashid Ali's steady form and clean plucks have come to Wasl's rescue many times and this should see him stand sturdy without causing much worries for the Wasl defence at home today (Saturday).
The satisfaction Al Wasl can draw from their previous encounter is the way the talented Al Ahli trio of Moussa Sow, Everton Ribeiro and Ciel were generally kept quiet for 90 minutes except on occasions when Hassan used his unfair tactics and was lucky to get away due to the referee's lenient ways.
After narrowly escaping from the stinging raids, Al Wasl could actually have at least shared points on the day against their Dubai neighbours when the dangerous combo of Caio Canedo and Fabio de Lima were denied goals, the woodwork coming in the way.
Al Shaab earned three vital points against Al Dhafra last weekend but are still eight points adrift in the relegation area from the Abu Dhabi outfit, while third from the bottom Sharjah have 18 points. Jazira and Fujairah have 19 each.
Al Shaab coach Walter Zenga as usual is confident, ready to handle situations on a day to day basis, without talking much on the strategy to be followed.
"We must continue to work hard through all conditions and continue to search for a winning formula. We are badly in need for confidence," he said.
Though mathematically Al Shaab's chances of surviving looks bleak, a 'miracle' of some kind could still take place if with the fresh foreign inclusions and experts, Al Shaab are able to regroup with every match they play from now.
moni@khaleejtimes.com