Fall Season - Week Nine - December 2nd

Ikhlas vs Yaqeen:
Stop the presses!  Ikhlas finally won a game!!!  Ikhlas caught a break last week taking advantage of a depleted Shukr roster to notch their first victory.  Shehryar Khan, Week Eight 1st Star seems to be shouldering the offensive load for his team as the offense starts and stops with him.  Chances are if you can contain him then you take away the heartbeat of Ikhlas’ offense.  Also, Zayd Agjee had a successful debut managing to only surrender one goal. He should be prepared to be busier this week against Yaqeen.  Yes, Yaqeen seems to be on a bit of a downward spiral, winless in their last three games (Ihsan, Shukr and Sabr).  However the last time these two teams met Yaqeen went off for four goals with Humza Chaudhry getting the hat-trick. The kid currently shares the goal scoring lead with Waqar Khan of Emaan. So expect him to have a bit of pep in his step as he tries to create some separation in the goal-scoring race with hopes of feasting on the Ikhlas defense one more time.

Sabr vs Ihsan:
Top placed Ihsan faces off against the last place, Sabr.  The last time this scenario played out for Ihsan they let a point slip away against Ikhlas, drawing against them 3-3.  These games are always hard to get up for if you are the first overall team.  Coming into the game you expect it to be an easy day at the office, knowing you probably don’t have to put forth your best effort to come away with the victory.  They shouldn’t look past Sabr as with Friday Night Lights, anything can happen.  Sabr must be feeling the pressure to finally get their first win after seeing Ikhlas pick up their first ‘W’ last week.  Things got a bit tougher for Sabr as goaltender Imran Merchant is no longer with the team (for personal reasons).  Speculations are that Yassir Hussain will be in between the pipes. The veteran net-minder should provide some stability for Sabr placing the onus square on the players in front of him to man-up and get the job done.

Shukr vs Haya:
Both teams enter Week Nine after suffering defeats.  For Shukr they look to avoid losing three straight, where Haya looks to avoid losing two in a row. This is a huge game as a Shukr win will leapfrog them over Haya in the standings into potentially 3rd or 4th overall. The last time these two teams met, Shukr stormed back from three goals down with Arif Bijabhai rescuing his team with four-goal effort. The first overall pick in this year’s draft is in a bit of a scoring slump the last two games. This time around you have to assume Haya’s Naeem Akhtar will be checking him more closely.  If Bijabhai is neutralized expect Haya to extend Shukr’s losing streak to three.  Yet, it if you were drafted first overall it is reasonable to think no one opponent should be able to contain you. Attendance was an issue for both teams in Week Eight.  Given what’s at stake you hope players on both sides recognize the commitment they have for their team-mates. At this point in the season you don’t want to leave points on the table.