It's still all to play for

Abu Dhabi - Al Ain hope to win and then bank on other results to qualify

It is still all to play for as the Arabian Gulf Cup reaches its business end with things tightly bunched in both the groups, going into the penultimate round. But some teams don't have their destiny in their hands.
And Al Ain are one of them. The Garden City club, leaders of the Arabian Gulf League, are third in Group B with six points, a point behind Al Wahda and three adrift of leaders Al Shabab, who have played a game less.
'The Boss,' who have one win, three draws and a loss, host Dibba Al Fujairah at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Monday evening.
And a win against the newcomers will improve their chances of making it to the semifinals although they also have to hope other results go their way.
"We are well aware that the three points will enhance our chances to qualify, although the chances in reaching the semifinals have become slim because our position is not in our hands," Al Ain coach Zlatko Dalic said.
"Therefore, we should win and then wait for the results of our other competitors to qualify," he added.And Dalic said they will go all out for a win, regardless of how it pans out in the end.
"Our chances are weak, but we still have a chance in the competition. We will try and win against Dibba Al Fujairah and wait for the other results. I would be happy if we are lucky and we qualified," said the Croatian.
Meanwhile, Dibba too are harbouring hopes of making it to the last four, although their chances look very slim. They are placed fifth with four points.
At around the same time as the Al Ain-Dibba game, Bani Yas entertain Emirates in Group A. The Sky Blues, though are yet to get off the mark and are the basement dwellers in Group A. They still have three more fixtures to play though.
Emirates look good though in Group A and are placed third behind leaders Al Ahli and Al Wasl.
Defending Arabian Gulf Cup champions Al Nasr take on Al Shaab at the Dubai Club Stadium in Al Awir as the Al Maktoum Stadium undergoes renovation.
Al Nasr are fourth in Group A with seven points, while Al Shaab have only two points.
On Tuesday, Al Wasl are at home to Al Dhafrah at the Zabeel Stadium, while Al Jazira host Al Fujairah at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium. Al Shabab meet Al Sharjah at the Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium.
james@khaleejtimes.com