Matchweek five of the ADNOC Pro League is set to see one of its biggest fixtures as Shabab Al Ahli host Al Ain at Rashid Stadium in a clash between two clubs level on 10 points at the top of the table.
Al Ain hold first place on goal difference, but both sides enter unbeaten and full of momentum.
The rivalry between these two teams has long been one of the fiercest in Emirati football.
They have met 32 times in the ADNOC Pro League, with Al Ain winning 13, Shabab Al Ahli 10, and nine ending in draws.
Goals are rarely in short supply: 92 have been scored across those encounters, an average of almost three per match.
Al Ain have been the more prolific, striking 53 times, while Shabab Al Ahli have scored 39.
History offers plenty of storylines. Shabab Al Ahli have fared better when the matches are played on Thursdays, winning three to Al Ain’s one.
In September fixtures, they shared dominance: Shabab Al Ahli won in 2010 and 2012, while Al Ain responded in 2017 and 2018. Those meetings were thrilling, producing an average of 4.5 goals per game.
This season, Shabab Al Ahli have built their success on defence. The champions have kept four consecutive clean sheets, a feat they last achieved in 2008 before the run ended in a 2-2 draw against Al Ain. They have also shut out Al Ain in their last two league meetings.
Al Ain, meanwhile, continue to showcase attacking firepower. Laba Kodjo has scored five goals against Shabab Al Ahli and has never lost a match in which he has found the net.
He follows a tradition of prolific Al Ain forwards in this fixture, alongside Asamoah Gyan (six goals) and José Sand (five). Grafite remains the all-time top scorer of the rivalry with seven.
Recent encounters have carried unusual patterns too. The last seven goals between the sides have all been scored with the right foot, with nine of the last ten arriving that way, the only exception a header by Laba in April 2023.
On the other hand, Soufiane Rahimi, one of Al Ain’s key stars, is still searching for his first goal or assist against Shabab Al Ahli after eight appearances.
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