Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
How they qualified: 4th - UAE Pro League 2010-11; beat Neftchi (UZB) 3-0 in play-off
Established 1958
Home stadium Maktoum bin Rashid Stadium (8,883)
Website www.alshababdubai.com
Club Honours
UAE league champions 3 - 1990, 95, 2008
President's Cup winners 4 - 1981, 90, 94, 97
Previous ACL appearances
2009 - Group stage
In the closing weeks of the 2010-11 United Arab Emirates Pro League season, Al Shabab Al Arabi appeared to be on course for third place and an automatic spot in the AFC Champions League. But a late collapse, which saw them manage only one win in their last six games, resulted in them being overhauled by Al Nasr and forced down to fourth.
It meant that the Dubai club needed to go through the play-offs in order to secure a place in the group stage of the continental tournament. But they negotiated that hurdle with little trouble as a brace by Essa Obaid and a late own goal helped them to beat Uzbek side Neftchi 3-0 in February and qualify for the AFC Champions League for the second time.
With the club signing Uzbekistan international midfielder Azizbek Haydarov and Brazilian forward Ciel during the summer, they enjoyed a bright start to the 2011-12 season as they lost just once in their first 10 games. But a poor run of recent results saw them drop out of the running in the race for the UAE league title.
Al Shabab Al Arabi last won the UAE league championship in 2008, which earned them a slot in the AFC Champions League the following year. But their maiden campaign in the tournament ended in disappointment as a goalless draw against Uzbek giants Bunyodkor in their final game saw them miss out on the knockout stage by just one point.
Expectations
Al Shabab Al Arabi will want to make up for the disappointment of just missing out on the last 16 in 2009 and become the first team from the United Arab Emirtates to reach the knockout stage since Al Wahda in 2007. However, they will need to negotiate a tough-looking group that includes three of the tournament's most seasoned competitors in Al Hilal, Al Gharafa and Piroozi.
Coach
Paulo Bonamigo
Having spent much of his coaching career in his native Brazil, Paulo Bonamigo took up his first appointment in the Middle East when he was put in charge of Al Shabab Al Arabi in December 2009 following the departure of Toninho Cerezo. After a disappointing seventh place finish in the league in 2010, the 51-year-old guided the Dubai club to the GCC Champions League and UAE Etisalat Cup title last year as well as fourth place in the league and a spot in the AFC Champions League play-offs.
Did you know?
With their 3-0 win over Neftchi in the play-offs, Al Shabab Al Arabi maintained the perfect record of United Arab Emirates club at that stage of the competition. In previous editions of the AFC Champions League, Sharjah (2009), Al Wahda (2010) and Al Ain (2011) all battled through the play-offs to secure their spots in the group stage.
Key Player
Carlos Villanueva
Chilean attacking midfielder Carlos Villanueva has been one of the key creative players for Al Shabab Al Arabi since he joined the Dubai club in 2009. The 26-year-old made his name at Chilean side Audax where he played for four seasons. He made his first international appearance for Chile in 2007 and spent a season on loan at England's Blackburn Rovers before he joined Al Shabab Al Arabi.