Oh boy! Talk about getting into a sticky situation. Yaqeen's recent loss to Ridha puts them in a bad spot, and now the urgency calls for them to essentially win every remaining game on the schedule. Let the fire sale begin! Expect GM Abbas Amarshi's daytime minutes to hit the roof this week as the sirens for transactions has sounded. How will Yaqeen reply to this surging Zuhd team? Time is running out for the Winter Warriors, this is pretty much their last crack at being qualifying candidates for the final playoff spot. With Shukr flying away and Ridha slowly drifting off, they are all alone in the pit of the standings.
GM Fahad Malik's squad has been airborne as of late and haven't shown any symptoms of landing since that explosive game with Haya. As a matter of fact, it just seems like this plane is on a prolonged autopilot. Can Yaqeen knock these guys of course? Zuhd's dominance has been their defense, and with stalwarts like Amir Baig and Farhan Siddiqui assisting in the back, it isn't a surprise netminder Rizwan Ali hasn't been that busy of a goalie. Naeem Akhtar continues to be the guy yelling on top of the mountain here, while Faisal Mehboob proves that size doesn't matter when it come to tallying points.
Player To Watch:
Qamar Mian has been an impeccable force in the back end for Yaqeen and segways stability.
Who's Hot?
Shabil Ahmed has slowly moulded into a critical piece to Zuhd's success.
Haya vs Shukr
Haya might've skipped a heartbeat last week when they faced off against Shukr. A second defeat was churning, but Arif Khan responded with 11 seconds left and maintained the grey shirt's unbeaten streak. Despite the absence of Coach K, Haya's gritty squad fought tooth-to-tooth and left the arena floor with 1 point in hand; that's why their at the plateau of the standings. Digging deep and playing the coach's strategy has been a ritual for Haya, toss in the fact that this team is deeper than Lake Ontario and you got a solid contender for the finals. Question is if they can subdue a playoff hungry Shukr team and retrieve that point back that Shukr stole from them?
Shukr had an interesting tilt with Ikhlas last week where the salivation eventually nudged them another inch up the standings. Itching to solidify their identity, the Blue Battalions look to seal the deal when they face Haya this week. Goaltender Sadiq Rehman played like a possessed man and retracted a whopping 22 shots where Shukr unfortunately only loaded a mere 16 shots. Shukr's defence still exhibits some frailty, but luckily their team speed compensates them in the back end, at times that is. Saqib Khokhar and Mohammed Hamoud continue to lead their squad in goal scoring and would probably envision other players to step up to the plate. Can the blue shirts win and creep closer to concreting that final playoff spot?
Player To Watch:
Arif Khan has been a valuable donor to Haya's offensive production. Most noticeably was Arif's heroics in last game's final minute goal.
Who's Hot?
Last game Sadiq Rehman stood on his head and made some crucial saves.
Ikhlas vs Ridha
Ikhlas played a power packed game last week and tried blowing up Shukr, but luckily Sadiq Rehman's firm efforts stole a point from the Green Machine. Atif Mian was the lone offender and scored a beauty of a goal that perhaps all of Cambridge heard. Jokes aside, this week's tilt with Ridha will be very trying. This match is being dubbed as the "Battle of the Goalies". Yes sir, the two best tier two goalies will be on display but the question is who'll take home the bragging rights? Ikhlas has proven that they have plenty of jump but at times have been a bit dreamy in their own defensive end. Let's hope the green shirts can crack their three game winless streak.
There were plenty of smiles in Ridha's change room last week. The Orangemen had some frightening moments in their own zone but cranked out a solid 4-2 victory over the tier two rag dolls, Yaqeen. The Talib Contractor show went live and didn't disappoint; but is this where things escalate for Ridha? Will they be able to press the repeat button versus Ikhlas? The win helps the Orangemen keep pace with Shukr but need every imaginable point henceforth. Faheem Kotwal and Farooq Sani were studs on defence last game and they'll need tot bring that same momentum int the changeroom this week. Can Ridha take a step closer to that final playoff spot?
Player To Watch:
Both goalies will be the focal points in this main attraction...who'll succeed?
Who's Hot?
Talib Contractor and Yasir Hussain stole the show last game. Yasir with his mind boggling saves and Talib for his two goal night.
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