Al Ain football team faces a crucial test in their GCC Champions League campaign when they host Iraqi club Zakho today at 18:30 at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium. This match, part of the fourth round of the group stage, could play a key role in determining which teams advance to the semi-finals. Al Ain enters the match in second place in the group with six points. They have secured two consecutive wins in the first and second rounds, suffering their only defeat in the previous round to Zakho. Al Ain began their campaign with a big 4-1 win over Bahrain's Sitra in Abu Dhabi, followed by a valuable 1-0 victory over Kuwait's Al-Qadsia, which gave them a strong competitive position in the race to qualify. The UAE's representative in the Gulf tournament continues to rely on their second squad, led by Italian coach Matteo Lombardo, while the first-team coaching staff, led by Serbian coach Vladimir Ivic, focuses on domestic competitions. The team currently tops the ADNOC Pro League table and has also reached the final of the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup. Meanwhile, Zakho enters the match as the group's leader with seven points, standing as Al Ain's main rival for the top spot.
