The competition between Al Ain and Shabab Al Ahli is the strongest in the Arabian Gulf League since the application of professionalism in 2008, but this competition was absent between the two teams in the last three seasons, which saw Al Jazeera, Al Ain and Sharjah win the title.

The two teams started the season with a heavy caliber confrontation in the first round of the Arabian Gulf Cup competition, as they provided a glimpse of what can be witnessed in the new season of competition between them, especially as this game is the strongest competition so far, which ended in a draw with two goals each, before they Al-Ahly's youths will win Al-Jazira with four goals without a reply and Al-Nasr with two goals without a reply, while Al-Ain beat Al-Jazira with three goals without a reply, confirming their readiness for the league.

In spite of the strong deals made by all the clubs in the Arabian Gulf League, Al-Jazira topped the «Mercato Summer» deals, it has emerged six indicators that pave the way for the return of competition between Al Ahli and Al Ain youth, most notably Al Ain coach, Croatian Ivan Lecco, and the technical stability of Al Ahli youth for the national players. The Dubai Knights also supports the experience of Argentine coach Rodolfo Arwabarena, while Al Ain have retained their most prominent stars to renew their contracts.

Al Ain Football Company has made dramatic changes after losing the Arabian Gulf League and the President's Cup, leaving the Arabian Gulf Cup and losing the Arabian Gulf Super Cup.The team also bid farewell to the AFC Champions League competition early in the group stage. The leader returned to the Croatian school quickly by hiring coach Ivan Liko to lead the team after a brief spell with Spain's Juan Carlos Garrido, who succeeded Croatian Zoran Mamic.

Lecco has an excellent coaching career, most notably his career with Belgian club Brugge, which has achieved great success, winning the title of Belgian champions and the Super Cup and won the best coach of the season 2017/18.

The most prominent deals concluded by the Al Ain administration was the signing of Al Wasl star, Brazilian Caio Canedo, who is considered one of the most prominent foreign players in the last five years in the Arabian Gulf League, where the Brazilian player has achieved remarkable numbers with «Emperor», and «Leader» bet that Together with Lapa Kodjo, the Togolese are a strong addition to the team's attack, which suffered last season because of the low level of Swede Marcus Berg, who is one of the most prominent players who emerged on the continent of Africa last season, namely in CAF Confederation Cup, where Tz The Togolese player's popularity with Moroccan club Nahdet Berkane this season has been supported by strong performances locally and continentally.

Meanwhile, Al Ain have completed their contracts to sign Algerian international Abdelrahman Meziane from USM Algiers in a free transfer after the end of his contract with the latter, which is one of the stars of the Algerian league.

Al-Banafsaj continued the same approach by signing high-level UAE nationals by signing Al Jazeera rookie Mohammed Jamal in a free transfer, as did Mohammed Hilal from Ajman, while Al Ain had renewed the contracts of goalkeeper Khalid Issa and defenders Bandar. Al Ahbabi and Mohammed Ahmed, along with midfielder Ahmed Berman, as well as Japanese international Tsukasa Shiotani, the club management also renewed the contracts of four young players for five seasons until 2024, namely: goalkeeper Mohamed Said Bousandah, Mohsen Abdullah, Falah Walid, and Salem Abdullah.

On the level of residents, Al Ain Football Company contracted the French Omar Yassin (19 years) and Driss Mazawiani (19 years), for three seasons, to enroll them in the category of «residents», after they became free players, after the club had announced the contract with the young Serbian Andrea Radovanovic (18)

For its part, the preparations of Al-Ahli youth for the new season did not differ from the «leader», where «Dubai Knights» in terms of technical stability continued Argentine coach Rodolfo Arwabarina in his position as coach of the team, as «Alasco» in its fourth season in the Arabian Gulf League, after emerging with Al Wasl Club in the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 seasons, winning the second and third places in the league, and qualifying to the final in the Arabian Gulf Cup and the President's Cup, and also led the Argentine coach Al Wasl to qualify for the first time in its history twice in succession to the AFC Champions League.

The return of Arwabarina to the Arabian Gulf League was quick despite the non-renewal of his contract with Al Wasl, but Al-Ahli contracted with the Argentine coach after six rounds of last season, as the former Emperor coach was not required to compete in the league title and to reconstitute «Knights However, Arwabarina did a great job with the team and led Al Ahli youth to win the President's Cup and the Arabian Gulf Cup.He also continued to compete in the league title until round 25, before settling for second place in a good achievement compared to the team's ninth place. In the first six rounds of the league competition.

In the new season, Al-Ahli supported its ranks in the new season by signing three new foreign players after the replacement of Argentine Mauro Diaz, and his compatriot Emiliano Vecchio and Ecuadorian Jimmy Ayovi, while the champion of the President's Cup and the Gulf Cup, the Swiss David Mariani and Argentine Federico Cartabia , Before making his strongest deals by signing Brazilian Leonardo de Souza, who broke his contract with Al Wahda UAE.

Mariani and Cartabia were promising in their first appearances, while Brazilian Leonardo does not need to introduce himself, after his brilliance at the beginning of the season with Al Wahda in the AFC Champions League, topped the tournament's top scorer with nine goals, and the fourth foreigner is the Moldovan, Luovan Henrique, who is the most prominent players Youth Ahli in the new season.

Al-Ahli youth have also been active in the contracts with foreign players who will be registered in the resident category, including three Brazilian players: Wesley Pereira, Gustavo Henrique and Leandro Spadacio, while the deals of national players limited to Al-Ahli youth contracts to include Yousef Jaber from Bani Yas in a free transfer .

Khaled Obeid: Al-Ahly youth strongest candidates for the league title

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Al Ain and Shabab Al Ahli are strongly favorites to compete in the Arabian Gulf League title, said Al-Nasr's former football manager Khaled Obeid, pointing out that Al-Ahly youth have the advantage of administrative and technical stability and not making major changes to players.

He explained to Al Emarat Al Youm that the competition between Al Ain and Al Ahli youths is expected to return strongly this season, after absent from them in the last three seasons, noting that the management of each team worked well during the summer transfer window.

He added: "For Al Ain, he has hired foreign players at a high level, he has hired a new coach, while retaining the most prominent stars of the team to renew their contracts, and at the same time benefited from the resident category by signing three good players."

He continued: «Al Ain always enters any championship and its goal to win the title, especially since the thinking (leader) goes beyond the quest to win local championships, and thinks to compete in the title of the AFC Champions League, which makes him a strong candidate to compete in the league title, after the management of the club remedied the negatives that occurred Last season, I contributed to the team's loss of all the tournaments he participated in. ”

Obeid spoke about Al-Ahli's youth. “The management of the club deserves to be commended for working in silence and maintaining the stability of the team, with the continuation of Argentine coach Rodolfo Arwabarena.

He added: «Al-Ahli youth contracted with foreign players at a high level as well, and is the most prominent deal of Brazilian Leonardo de Souza, who starred with Al Wahda last season, and will undoubtedly give the team a big addition».

He pointed out that the return of competition between Al Ahli youth and Al Ain gives the competition more strength, pointing out that Al Jazeera is one of the most prominent competitors for the title, after strong contracts concluded by the Department of «pride Abu Dhabi», especially the contract with Omar Abdulrahman and Amer Abdulrahman, and Brazilian Keno da Silva He also stressed that Sharjah, Al Wahda, Al Nasr and Al Wasl clubs cannot be excluded from the competition after the great work done by each team.

• New Ahli Youth deals

- David Mariani.

- Federico Cartabia.

- Leonardo de Souza.

- Wesley Pereira.

- Gustavo Henrique.

- Leandro Spadacio.

Yousef Jaber.

• New eye deals

- Caillou Canido.

- Lapa Kodjo.

Facebook Facebook logo Abdulrahman Meziane.

- Mohammed Jamal.

Mohamed Ali Shaker.

- Mohammed Hilal.

Facebook Facebook logo Omar Yassin.

- Idriss Mzaouiani

- Andrea Radovanovic.