Today marks the start of the eighth round of the ADNOC Pro League, while the repercussions of the national team's exit from the World Cup qualifiers continue to cast a shadow over the sports scene. The national team, 'Al-Abyad', squandered a valuable opportunity against Qatar, only for the same scenario to repeat itself against Iraq the day before yesterday.
The round's opening fixture features a single match, where Khorfakkan will host Shabab Al-Ahli at 19:30 on the Saqr bin Mohammad Al-Qasimi Stadium. This early match was scheduled to allow 'Fursan Dubai' ample time to prepare and travel to Qatar for their match against Al-Gharafa next Monday in the elite round of the AFC Champions League.
Khorfakkan's home matches have a distinct attacking character, as the team has not drawn a blank in its last 40 league matches. These encounters have seen 138 goals scored, averaging 3.5 goals per match, with Khorfakkan scoring 65 and conceding 73.
The odds for today's match clearly favor the visitors, who have not lost in 12 encounters against Khorfakkan, securing 10 wins and 2 draws. Khorfakhan is also one of only six teams that have failed to beat Shabab Al-Ahli in the competition.
Despite Shabab Al-Ahli being the team with the most shots in the league this season (104 shots), they have only scored six goals, compared to the 20 they scored in the first seven rounds of last season.
'Fursan Dubai' have lost only once in their last 17 away matches in the Pro League (10 wins and 6 draws). Their only defeat was a 1-2 loss to Al-Wasl last May. They have also kept a clean sheet in their last three away matches. It is worth noting that they have not kept four consecutive away clean sheets only once, between January and March 2017.
Overall, Shabab Al-Ahli have scored 31 goals against Khorfakkan, while the latter has scored only 12 in the history of their league encounters. Munis Daboor and Yousuf Jaber lead the scorers in these matchups with three goals each, while Yuri Cesar and Cartabia have two goals each.
