8:00 PM- Emaan (1-1) vs Yaqeen (1-1)
Last week, it was assessed in the previews that it was hard to judge Emaan because up to that point they did not faced off against a full roster and were never really tested. In Week 2, Emaan squared off against Sabr, in what was their “first” competitive game of the season (they played an undermanned Haya team in Week One). With that said, Emaan gave us nothing to get excited for, losing last week 3-0. They have an opportunity to change this perception tonight against Yaqeen, a team that is also a hard to pass a verdict on. Just like Emaan, Yaqeen took advantage of a short-benched Haya team in Week Two, winning 4-1. However, the score does not do justice on how close the game was up until the later part of the second half. So the above assessment on Haya can apply again here for Yaqeen in that their win was against such an undermanned Haya that they were also never really tested. Both teams did play against Haya, with Emaan looking as the more impressive team, so make of that what you wish. Tonight should be a better gauge on the evaluation of each team.
9:00 PM- Haya (0-2) vs Shukr (1-1)
Haya went from sheer jubilation since winning the draft lottery (and getting the first pick) to their season unraveling into a nightmare. Regardless who you draft, you get to be in it to win it and if you don’t show up, your team will be hard to win any game. It was already known prior to the draft that, Salman Khalid and Waqar Khan would be unavailable for the first few weeks of the season. However, despite missing almost all their top-end players, Haya showed great resiliency against Yaqeen last week, especially their goaltender, Kaunain Saiyed, who faced over 30 shots! If players are missing again tonight he is going to be relied on again to bring that same magic. However, there is only so much he can do and it will be up to Furqan Salam to step up for his team. This would give an opportunity for Salam to emerge from "Boom-Boom" Khan’s shadow and show that he can be the main superstar to lead a team. Their opponents are Shukr, who might boast the best first line in the league: Ibrahim Hindy, Dawood Ciombar, and Humza Ali. This trio accounted for three of the four goals against Ikhlas last week en route to the victory. Their goaltender took care of his business, as Khalid Mufti swatted away 25 of 26 shots he faced. This team seems to be rounding into form after stumbling in Week One against Sabr. This might spell trouble for Haya tonight as Shukr will be looking to catch up to Sabr in the standings or at the very least keep pace.
10:00 PM- Ikhlas (1-1) vs Sabr (2-0)
What happened to Ikhlas last week? They went from scoring six goals against Yaqeen in Week One to shooting bricks in their 4-1 loss vs Shukr. It was not from a lack of trying as they did put up 26 shots. On some nights the ball just doesn’t go into the net, no matter how hard you try. They are going to need to keep grinding tonight and hope they are able to find their offense as their opponents have yet to fish the ball out of their own net this season. Sabr, is first overall, but how they have won their first two games is a bit surprising. Most outside observers thought Sabr would be an offensive juggernaut but in reality they have been stifling the opposition with their defense. How long will Sabr’s goaltender, Fahad Mohammed’s shutout streak last?
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