Dubai: With defending champions Al Ahli stuttering and unable to find their winning form, which saw them clinch last season's inaugural professional UAE Football League (UFL), there is no doubt that one of the sides forming the Abu Dhabi triumvirate of Al Ain, Al Jazira and Al Wahda will take home the honours at the second edition.
At present, the trio are ranked in that order on the UFL table and it doesn't seem like things will change much as the tournament progresses further. Al Ain and Al Jazira have each won three of the four matches they've played so far, with just one of the games ending in a draw; that was when they faced each other at Al Jazira's Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium.
Both sides are currently on 10 points, but Al Ain occupy top spot on the basis of a superior goal difference of seven, compared to Al Jazira's four.
Al Wahda, meanwhile, are a point behind the pair and it won't be surprising to see the three exchanging the lead among themselves.
Threat
Now it's down to the rest of the chasing pack. And while there is doubt if the remaining nine teams will ever pose a threat to the title ambitions of the Abu Dhabi teams, there are a few with the potential of challenging for the single Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League play-off spot reserved for the UAE.
One of the early success stories of the UFL has been that of promoted Baniyas, who have already proven they could be the dark horse of the 2009-10 season. Baniyas have accumulated eight points from their four games thanks to two wins and two draws and are currently in fourth, a point adrift of Al Wahda.
Their coach Lutfi Al Banzarti is a quiet man with an aggressive mind and his tactics have yielded fruit as the newcomers beat Al Nasr 2-1 at home and secured late points against Al Wasl and Sharjah. They've also beaten Al Ahli, which goes to show that Baniyas have indeed hit the ground running in the UFL.
Hot on the heels of Baniyas are Sharjah, who find themselves in fifth with seven points, having pulled off two victories and a draw, with Dhafra and Emirates in sixth and seventh respectively.
Al Wasl, champions in 2007, returned to their winning ways last week against Dhafra and if they can continue to improve they could be one of the sides challenging Baniyas for that play-off spot.
Al Wasl's city rivals Al Nasr and Al Shabab, the 2008 champions, are seemingly in bad shape. Al Shabab have already sacked coach Toninho Cerezo and the axe is said to be hovering around Al Nasr's German coach Frank Pagelsdorf's neck.
If there is one certainty then it is this: that Ajman will definitely be one of the relegated sides when the curtains are drawn in May 2010.
