Bani Yas host Dibba; Dhafra take on Nasr

Abu Dhabi - Bani Yas take on the League's newbies Dibba Al Fujairah, while Al Dhafra come up against strong contenders Al Nasr in the early kick-offs slated for the evening. And Bani Yas will be looking to build on their good start when they host promoted side Dibba Al Fujairah.

 The Arabian Gulf League resumes after the international break and Saturday throws up some interesting fixtures.
Bani Yas take on the League's newbies Dibba Al Fujairah, while Al Dhafra come up against strong contenders Al Nasr in the early kick-offs slated for the evening. And Bani Yas will be looking to build on their good start when they host promoted side Dibba Al Fujairah.
The Sky Blues had begun their campaign against the other newcomers Al Shaab. They were comfortable 2-0 winners away at the Khalid bin Mohammed Stadium towards the end of August.
They have suffered a loss though, in the Arabian Gulf Cup, where they went down to Al Nasr by a solitary goal.
And Luis Garcia's men will be keen to put that aside and try and notch their first win at home at the Bani Yas Stadium in Al Shamkha. Fixtures such as these are where they need to garner maximum points as stiffer tests lay in wait further down the line. But they need to be wary of a Dibba Al Fujairah who are smarting after two defeats, in the Arabian Gulf League and the Arabian Gulf Cup.
Their return to the UAE top flight went south after they were walloped by Abu Dhabi heavyweights Al Wahda. Dibba Al Fujairah were then edged out 3-2 by Al Shabab in the Arabian Gulf Cup.
But they bounced back from those two defeats by holding Al Wahda to a thrilling 3-3 draw in the second round of the Cup. Having shown improvement, it will be an interesting match-up against Bani Yas.
Meanwhile, Al Dhafra began the League with the 3-1 defeat against the champions Al Ain at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium. The Western Knights featured in the second round of the Cup where they were beaten by Emirates 4-3 on the road.
They come up against Ivan Jovanovic's Al Nasr, who could be termed the dark horse, this term. The Blue Wave had beaten Emirates 2-1 at home in the League after which they notched a solitary goal win against Bani Yas.
Al Nasr, though, were held to a dull goalless draw by Dubai rivals Al Wasl, in the Cup fixture.
james@khaleejtimes.com 

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Bani Yas' margin of win over Al Shaab in their opening game

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