Salt third in league as Jazira maintain lead

AMMAN — Jazira have a chance to further bolster their lead when they face Sarih in Week 8 of the Jordan Professional Football League starting Thursday.

The leaders took a 5-point lead after they beat Wihdat 1-0 last week while Shabab Urdun stayed second after they were held 0-0 with Ahli who remained 11th. Shabab Urdun next face Baqaa who moved to 7th after they beat Sarih 3-0.

Salt beat Aqaba 2-1 to move up to third and next play That Ras while Faisali are fourth after they beat Hussein 3-0 and next play Ahli, who are having a bad season and remain in the relegation zone.

Hussein next play 9th placed Ramtha who held That Ras 0-0. Wihdat are now 6th and next play Aqaba who are 8th.

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.

The 2018/19 football season agenda 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.