Football: Still some unfinished business in AGL

A second Arabian Gulf League Shield is already in the bag with two games to spare but Al Jazira still have a lot to play for, before the curtains fall on yet another season in the UAE top flight.

Nicknamed the 'Pride of Abu Dhabi,' Al Jazira are right on the cusp of records and milestones with two fixtures left to play out. First and foremost, the Abu Dhabi club will be hoping to keep a proud home record intact and will also be aiming for a record number of points in a season.

And individually, their ace marksman, the home-grown Ali Mabkhout is well on his way to shattering the League's goalscoring record.

Al Jazira are currently on 62 points and wins in both the games will see them overhaul Al Ahli's record haul of 66 points, set last season. Meanwhile, Ali Mabkhout, who equalled Asamoah Gyan's goalscoring record of 31 goals, last week against Hatta, could steer clear and become the undisputed Emirati hero.

All this and a race for the AFC Champions League spots as well as relegation battles, forms the storyline for this week's League's fixtures.

Talking of Al Jazira, the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium has proven to be a fortress, in every sense of the word for Henk ten Cate's champions. They haven't lost a game nor drawn one in 11 matches at home, with their two losses and two draws coming on the road.

And they will be looking to preserve that envious record when they welcome Al Nasr on Wednesday night.

"The next two games carry great importance for us because this group of players strongly want to write a new chapter in the history of the club," Henk ten Cate said at his pre-match press briefing.

"So, we will deal with Al Nasr with utmost seriousness and we will give everything we have got at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium and make sure we don't drop a single point at our fortress," he added.

The Dutchman, formerly assistant coach at FC Barcelona and Chelsea, is also keen on seeing his captain and goalkeeper Ali Khaseif keep a clean sheet at home and for his striker Ali Mabkhout to add more goals to his tally.

"We want to maintain the winning streak at home until the end of the season and I'm going to make every possible effort to help the players achieve this. I would like to see Ali Khaseif maintain a clean sheet and Ali Mabkhout to score more goals," said the 62-year-old.

Henk ten Cate also praised his Emirati frontman Ali Mabkhout, who continues to enhance his staggering reputation.

"Frankly, I can not understand why Mabkhout is criticised by some and doesn't get the credit he truly deserves. I work with him on a daily basis, and I know very well the exceptional talent and skills that he possesses. And I know that the best way to help him show his talent and his offensive abilities is by creating the ideal conditions for him," he said.

Meanwhile, there is hardly any breathing space below Al Jazira with Al Ahli, Al Wasl and Al Ain bunched tightly together, in the tussle for AFC Champions League berths next season.

At the other end of the spectrum, Ittihad Kalba, Dibba, Emirates and Bani Yas are in a four-way fight to avoid the ignominy of relegation to the First Division.