Jazira seek to keep their lead against Shabab Urdun

AMMAN — Jazira will seek to take their lead further when they face runner-up Shabab Urdun in the highlight of Week 10 matches of the Jordan Professional Football League which kicked off Thursday.

The league was on break for the past ten days as the national team hosted India beating them 2-1 before holding Saudi Arabia 1-1 in the final home camp ahead of the 2019 Asian Cup in the UAE. They will leave to Doha, Qatar to hold a training camp in which they will play Kyrgyzstan on December 20, Qatar on December 24 and China on December 28 in the final phase of preparations. Last month Jordan held Albania 0-0 and lost 2-1 to World Cup runner-up Croatia. 

Jazira have maintained their lead and like the past two seasons have been at the forefront ahead of usual champs Wihdat and Faisali. Last week, Jazira beat Sarih 2-1 to keep their 5 point lead while Shabab Urdun beat Baqaa 1-0 to remain second. Saturday’s match is decisive as Jazira aim to take their lead further while Shabab Urdun see it as a chance to consolidate their advance drawing closer to the top spot.

Salt are third after they beat That Ras 2-1 and next play Ramtha who are 9th after upsetting Hussein 3-0.

Faisali are fourth after a 1-0 win over Ahli, who are still among the last two. Faisali next play Baqaa while Wihdat, who are fifth after beating Aqaba 2-0, face That Ras on the weekend.

The 2018/19 football season kicked off with league champs Wihdat beating Jordan Cup champs Jazira in the 36th Jordan Super Cup — the first major competition on the annual football calendar.

Last season, Wihdat won the league for a record 16th time. Jazira lost two competition finals conceding the 35th Jordan Super Cup to Faisali and the Jordan Football Association Shield final to Wihdat. Jazira also finished runner-up in the league but made club history by winning the 38th Jordan Cup final after they last won the Jordan Cup in 1984.

Faisali are 33-time league winners since 1944 while Wihdat are 16-time leagues champs since 1980.

On the regional scene, this season, Jazira were eliminated from Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup West Asia zone final losing to the Iraqi Air Force team and failing to reach the continent’s final. Faisali had bowed out in the event’s semifinals. Likewise, Ramtha bowed out to Tunisia’s Etoile Sportive Du Sahel in the preliminary round of the Arab Club Champions Cup. League holders Wihdat will represent Jordan in the 2018/19 AFC Champions League. Jordanian teams have never before made it past the ACL preliminary round. In the 2017/18 edition, Faisali were eliminated, while Wihdat were knocked out in 2017, 2016 and 2015 and Shabab Urdun were eliminated in 2014.