Omo, di Saudi Under-21 League, dem dey call am Joi Elite League, don reach di final stage of di league phase. Na di 20th and final round wey fans dey wait with heart for chest. Dis round na serious wahala, because different teams get different ambition wey dey clash. Some teams dey find direct qualification for quarter-finals, others dey dream of play-offs, and some just dey pray to escape relegation zone. Di excitement for dis round no be small, as young players fit turn to big stars and make dia fans’ dream come true.
One big match wey go hold for dis round na di one between Al-Ahli and Al-Qadisiyah for Jeddah. For dis match, Al-Qadisiyah get bigger ambition. Dem dey find direct qualification for quarter-finals. Al-Qadisiyah dey enjoy dia best run for dis season, as dem don win dia last five matches straight. Dem don leapfrog to fourth place with 36 points. “Banu Qadis” get chance to secure second place if Al-Ittifaq slip up, because dem dey just two points behind dem. At di same time, dem dey trail third-placed Al-Taawoun by just one point.
But make we no forget, Al-Qadisiyah fit miss top four entirely if dem slip up against Al-Ahli. Reason be say Al-Nassr, wey dey fifth place, dey just one point behind dem, and Al-Akhdoud, wey dey sixth, dey two points adrift. Na serious pressure for Al-Qadisiyah.
For Al-Ahli side, dem no share such ambition. Dem don lose all hope of qualifying for knockout stages of Saudi Under-21 League. But dem still get concern, because dia survival from relegation never officially confirm. Al-Ahli dey 17th for table with 21 points, from 5 wins, 6 draws and 8 defeats. Al-Raqi dey just two points ahead of Al-Jabalain, wey dey 21st place and face relegation to Regional League. So Al-Ahli desperately need positive result against Al-Qadisiyah to secure dia survival.
Al-Ahli don pick 4 points from dia last two matches. Dem beat Al-Jabalain 3-0 and draw 0-0 with Al-Fateh, after two consecutive defeats against Al-Khaleej and Al-Wehda. Dis one motivate dem to secure positive result against Al-Qadisiyah.
Anoda match wey go hold na di ‘Mini Clásico’ between Al-Ittihad and Al-Shabab. Dis kind matches don always full of excitement, no matter di division wey dem dey play. But dis fixture no expected to be di same. Di match go hold at Al-Ittihad Stadium for Jeddah, and e pit two teams wey don already seal dia fate for dis season Joi Elite League. Al-Shabab be di first team to officially relegate to Regional League.
Al-Shabab dey 24th and last place for table with 12 points, from 3 wins, 3 draws and 13 defeats. Dem dey full 8 points behind Al-Khulud for 20th place, wey don avoid relegation. For Al-Ittihad, dem don lose all chance of qualifying directly for quarter-finals. Dem dey eighth for table with 31 points, five points behind Al-Qadisiyah for fourth place.
But Al-Ittihad don secure dia place for play-offs, as dem dey five points clear of Al-Riyadh, wey dey 13th place – di first position wey no qualify for dat stage. Al-Ittihad greatest ambition from dis match fit be to climb di table, or at least not drop below eighth place. Why? So dem fit play second leg of play-off round at home in front of dia own fans.
Al-Ittihad go need to bounce back from dia 3-2 defeat to Al-Khaleej for last round. Dat defeat make dem return to losing ways after drawing 1-1 with Al-Raed and thrashing Al-Bukairiya 7-1 for previous two rounds.
Round 3 go also feature three oda matches wey go play direct role in determining di four teams to qualify directly for quarter-finals. Di clash between Al-Ittifaq and Al-Khaleej at Ego Stadium for Dammam na one of dem. Al-Ittifaq dey second for table with 38 points, three points clear of fifth-placed Al-Nassr. Dis mean dem need only draw to secure direct qualification for quarter-finals.
With same objective for mind, third-placed Al-Taawoun must secure win when dem visit Al-Khaloud at Al-Bukairiyah Stadium. Reason be say dem dey just two points ahead of fifth-placed Al-Nassr. For Al-Akhdoud, dem must beat Damak when dem host dem for Najran, while Al-Qadisiyah lose to Al-Ahli and Al-Nasr fail to beat Al-Hilal. Only den Al-Akhdoud fit reach top four.
Al-Akhdoud dey sixth for Joi Elite League table with 34 points, two points behind fourth-placed Al-Qadisiyah and one point behind Al-Nasr for fifth. Di tasks wey dey face Al-Ittifaq, Al-Taawoun and Al-Akhdoud no go easy. Although di matches dey against teams for bottom half of table, all of dem dey fight to avoid relegation. Dis mean dem go battle to avoid defeat at di very least.
Al-Khaleej dey 16th place with 22 points, while Damak dey 19th place with 20 points, di same tally as Al-Khalood for 20th place – di first spot to secure safety from relegation. Na serious final round wey go decide who go qualify and who go go down.
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