Al Ain
- Al Ain leads the UAE Pro League 2025/2026 with 20 points from 8 games.
- Al Ain have won 4 and drawn 1 of their last 5 fixtures, while Ittihad Kalba have won 1, drawn 1 and lost 3 of their last 5.
- Vladimir Ivic took over as head coach of Al Ain in February 2025 and has implemented a high-energy, possession-based system that is equally adept in keeping possession as it is in pressing.
- This has made Al Ain a relentless team, with a unique ability to play both vertically and horizontally in their 4-3-3 formation.
- The hosts have won 3 and drawn 1 of their 4 home league fixtures so far, conceding just 2 goals in the process.
Ittihad Kalba
- Ittihad Kalba have 11 points and are in 8th place in the UAE Pro League 2025/2026.
- Ittihad Kalba have won 3 of their 4 away matches in the UAE Pro League 2025/2026, averaging 1.75 goals per away game (7 goals in total).
- Vuk Rasovic took over as the club’s head coach in July 2024 and has installed a pragmatic, counter-attacking style of play.
- Kalba’s compact 4-2-3-1 system is designed to be solid in defense and lethal in transition.
- The visitors are in poor form, losing 3 consecutive matches, including a 3-0 away defeat to Al Dhafra and a 3-1 home defeat to Al Bataeh.
Head-to-Head
Kalba have the better record in the recent head-to-heads, winning 2 and drawing 1 of the last 3 meetings between the teams in all competitions.
Betting Insights
- The bookmakers heavily favour Al Ain at 1.34, but Kalba are a big underdog at 7.7, which seems too big of a price.
- Both teams to score is priced at 1.75, and this looks like a sure bet for Kalba’s counter-attack to penetrate the hosts’ defense.
- Al Ain will dominate the territory and the pace of the match, while Kalba will try to frustrate and hit on the break.
Prediction
Al Ain are yet to lose at home in the league ( W3 D1 ), while Kalba are on a 3-match losing streak , so we’re going with the home side to get all the points here.
