Blue Wave look to close gap on top two

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Blue Wave look to close gap on top two
Jo of Al shabab and Mubarak Saeed of Al Nasr in action during the AG Cup in Dubai

Dubai - A much-needed win would also arrest a progressively downward spiral form-wise for the reigning champions.

By Alex Leach

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Published: Wed 4 Nov 2015, 5:01 PM

Al Nasr shall aim to close the gap on Al Ahli and Al Wasl at the top of Group A in the Arabian Gulf Cup (AGC) when they entertain Al Dhafra at Al Maktoum Stadium this afternoon (Wednesday, Kick-off: 4:45pm).
Ivan Jovanovic's men are currently three points off of their two Dubai-based rivals, but - with the Cheetahs and the Red Knights not in action during this fourth round of AGC fixtures - victory would send Nasr joint top, albeit having played one game more.
A much-needed win would also arrest a progressively downward spiral form-wise for the reigning champions.
Nasr's title defence in this domestic cup competition began with a narrow 1-0 success at Bani Yas, which was followed up by a 0-0 home draw with Wasl and then a 2-0 defeat away to Ahli.
With three games left and three points to make up on Cosmin Olaroiu's side and Wasl, the Blue Wave need a turnaround in fortunes pronto if they are to finish inside the top two and reach the semi-finals.
However, Dhafra will presumably have the exact same aspirations as Nasr, being as they are only one point behind today's opponents having played in just two AGC matches so far.
The Western Knights were on the wrong end of a seven-goal thriller (4-3) at Emirates Club initially, but they bounced back from that early setback to down Al Shaab 3-1.
Laurent Banide's team haven't faced any of the top-three sides in this seven-strong pool though as yet, so this perhaps represents the first proper test of their credentials and their tendency to ship goals on the road is a concern.
Elsewhere, bragging rights are at stake over in Group B as Dibba Al Fujairah and Fujairah lock horns in the east-coast derby today (Wednesday, Kick-off: 4:45pm).
Second-placed Fujairah are undefeated in two games following a draw at Al Wahda (3-3) and home victory over Sharjah (3-1), whereas Dibba are yet to win in three matches.
They too have achieved a high-scoring stalemate against the Clarets (3-3), although a 4-1 reverse at Sharjah last time out hardly inspires confidence and they've also lost at Al Shabab 3-2.
Meanwhile, back in Group A tomorrow afternoon (Kick-off: 4:50pm), Emirates Club travel to winless Al Shaab in a similar predicament to Dhafra and Nasr and looking to make up lost ground on the two front-runners Ahli and Wasl.
alex@khaleejtimes.com


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