An exciting night awaits the “leader”… between the historic coronation and the turmoil of the “climax” of the relegation struggle

The curtain falls tonight on the 18th edition of the Professional Football League, with Al Ain’s joy in winning its 15th title in its history, and its desire to end the season without loss and turn the dream into a “golden league” that will remain stuck in the memory of the competition for a long time, but away from the celebrations of “Al-Zaeem”, the Dibba, Al-Bataeh and Al-Dhafra clubs will live a completely different night, closer to a nightmare, after the relegation struggle remains open to all possibilities and the calculations are more complex, and what happens in a stadium may completely change the scene. In another stadium, the three teams enter the confrontation with the league’s top players knowing that mistakes are forbidden, and that just one point could change the fate of an entire season.

All four matches will be held at 19:30.

Al Ain – Dibba

Al Ain, which won the title, receives its guest, Dibba, at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, keeping its sights on maintaining its unbeaten record this season, while its guest clings to its hopes of survival, especially since it has more than one scenario.

“Al-Zaeem” leads the standings with 65 points, after achieving 20 victories compared to five draws. A win or draw is enough for him to win the title without losing, while a win will give him the opportunity to equal the record for the highest points tally for the league champion, registered in the name of Al-Jazira since the 2016-2017 season.

On the other hand, Dibba enters the match in 12th place with 20 points, and needs a win to ensure survival without waiting for the results of others, while the result of a draw or loss will put it in front of complex calculations linked to the results of its direct competitors.

Shabab Al-Ahly – Al-Bataeh

Shabab Al-Ahly hosts its guest, Al-Bataeh, at Rashid Stadium in Dubai, in a confrontation that the visiting team faces under the pressure of relegation, while it is considered a performance of duty for the home owners.

Al-Bataeh, who is in second-last place with 20 points, needs to emerge victorious while waiting for Dibba to stumble against Al-Ain to ensure survival, but he faces a major crisis represented by the absence of six players from the starting lineup due to loan clauses that prevent their participation against Shabab Al-Ahly. On the other hand, Shabab Al-Ahly, which is in second place with 57 points, will play the match with technical goals, most notably giving the opportunity to a number of players who did not participate much this season, in preparation for the next season.

Al Dhafra team is facing a confrontation that does not accept half-measures, when it receives its guest, Al Wahda, at Hamdan Bin Zayed Stadium, and it has no alternative but to believe in its chances of avoiding returning to the first division league.

Al Dhafra, at the bottom of the standings with 19 points, needs to win first and then wait for Dibba and Al Bataeh to stumble together against Al Ain and Shabab Al Ahly, respectively, in order to remain in the professional league. For its part, Al-Wahda enters the match in fifth place with 40 points, and is looking for victory while waiting for Al-Jazira to stumble against Baniyas, hoping to end the season in fourth place to qualify for external competitions.

Al Jazeera – Baniyas

Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium will be the stage for Al Jazira and its guest, Bani Yas, in a confrontation during which the hosts will seek to maintain their hopes of ending the season in fourth place.

Al Jazira currently occupies fourth place with 41 points, and a victory will ensure that they retain it regardless of the outcome of their pursuit of Al Wahda. “Abu Dhabi Pride” had missed the opportunity to finish the season third after faltering in the previous rounds.

In turn, Baniyas, which is in ninth place with 27 points, enters the match with greater comfort after ensuring survival, and is looking forward to ending the season in a different way after its difficult start, which saw it lose the first six matches, before regaining its balance in the final rounds.