Al Ain and Sharjah are ready for a big encounter in the second leg of the ADIB Cup quarter-final, hosted at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium on Saturday. Despite Al Ain’s superior record, the match remains historically competitive.
Al Ain won the first leg 3–1.
The two sides have met six times in the tournament: Al Ain won three, Sharjah won once, and two games ended in draws. The fixture is known for its attacking flair, producing 21 goals—an average of 3.5 per match.
Despite their stronger numbers, Al Ain carry a difficult memory from last season, when they were eliminated despite winning the first leg 1–0 against Al Jazira, eventually losing 2–3 in the return leg and exiting via penalties. A scenario they will aim to avoid repeating.
Their quarter-final paths differ as well. Al Ain have played 13 matches in this stage, winning 5, drawing 3, and losing 5. Sharjah, meanwhile, have played 10 quarter-final matches, winning only twice, drawing twice, and losing six.
The match also highlights the influence of Brazilian star Igor Coronado, one of the competition’s standout scorers with 6 goals, half of them scored specifically against Al Ain, making him a key figure who could shape the outcome once again.
In overall scoring across tournament meetings, Al Ain lead with 13 goals, while Sharjah have 8.
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