In the hiatus provided by the “FIFA Days,” ADNOC Professional League clubs have strategically invested their time in addressing weaknesses and reshuffling their strategies ahead of the league’s resumption on Thursday with the eighth round. This pause, coinciding with the first national team’s engagement in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Asian Cup, has seen clubs engage in various activities such as changing coaches, participating in friendly matches, and rigorous physical training sessions.
Currently leading the league standings, Al-Wasl seized the opportunity to bolster team morale by winning a friendly match against the Emirates team with a scoreline of 2-1. Meanwhile, Al Ain and Al Wahda utilized the break to appoint new coaches, with Argentine Hernan Crespo taking charge at Al Ain, succeeding Dutchman Alfred Schroeder, and Dutchman Arnoboitenweg stepping in for South African Pitso Mosimane at Al Wahda.
During this period, Al Ain secured a victory in a friendly against Al Ittihad, a third-division club, with a convincing score of 4-1. Al Wahda, on the other hand, focused on daily training without participating in friendly matches. Shabab Al-Ahly played a friendly match against Al-Qadisiyah of Saudi Arabia at Rashid Stadium in Dubai, ending in a 2-3 loss.
Al-Nasr engaged in a friendly match against United FC, a first-division club, securing a notable 5-2 victory. In contrast, Al-Jazira, Khor Fakkan, Baniyas, Hatta, and Al-Bataeh clubs opted for daily training without announcing any friendly matches.
Sharjah, having experienced two participations in the AFC Champions League and the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup, prepared for the eighth round with a win in its Asian participation against Nasaf of Uzbekistan and a local loss to Ittihad Kalba in the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup. The league resumes with heightened anticipation and strategic adjustments from the participating clubs.
