Zola calling for consistency ahead of derby showdown.
 
Al Ahli take on Al Arabi in a potentially feisty derby encounter at  Al Ahli Stadium on Friday evening. Al Ahli will look to continue positively after their win against Umm Salal last week and Al Arabi will try and push for derby glory as well as a fourth place spot. 
 
Al Arabi come into the tie in good form, following a big  2-0 win against El Jaish last week. The win took them to fifth position in the league with thirty-four points from twenty-two games.
 
Head Coach, Gianfranco Zola is aware of the danger that Al Ahli possess and looks forward to a tough match, “The match is not only important for them it is important for us as well. I see a difficult game because they are fighting to stay in the league. I saw them play a few days ago and they are in good form.”
 
Speaking about last week’s victory over third placed El Jaish Zola said, “We showed in the last game that we are able to play well but we need more consistency.” Al Arabi has had a mixed run of results as they won their last game, drew the one before and lost the one before that.
 
Al Arabi will be without their defender, Boualem Khoukhi as he is suspended. Midfielder Ali Jasimi is still injured but Ahmed Fathi will be back which good news for the century club fans.
 
“Khoukhi is an important player for us and maybe the player of the season for us. But other times we have played Lekhwiya without Ashkan Dejagah, so I hope we can overcome this difficulty as well,” added the Italian.
 
Zola also highlighted the importance of these last four games as preparation for the upcoming Emir Cup, “It’s a good exercise to prepare for the Emir Cup as consistency has been the biggest issue in our season .If we learn from the last four games we can use this as experience for the Emir Cup.”
 
 
Al Ahli coach Yusef Adam was unavailable for comment.