The third round of the professional football league kicks off today

After two rounds, Al-Jazeera tops the standings with 4 points, ahead by goal difference from Al-Salt, Al-Faisaly, Al-Ramtha, and Al-Baqaa, while Al-Shabab Al-Ordon and Al-Wehdat occupy the next positions with two points, then Al-Hussein with one point, while Al-Arabi and Duqrah remain without a score.

Although the numbers have given Al-Jazeera the lead, the technical reading of the two rounds says that the differences are still limited, and the first win or the first setback may transfer the team from the top of the table to the middle, or vice versa, in light of the close start.

The third round comes under exceptional circumstances for Al-Faisaly and Al-Hussein, who played their matches yesterday in the AFC Champions League 2; Al-Hussein hosted the Indian East Bengal at Amman Stadium, while Al-Faisaly was a guest of the Qatari Al-Rayyan. Therefore, the physical factor, fatigue, and travel will be strongly present in the calculations of the two teams before their local appearance at the end of the week.

The round also bears another title represented by the activity at the national team level, as the coach of the national team, Badou El-Zaky, will hold a press conference today to announce the list of the national team for the upcoming gathering, which includes two friendly matches, thus the football street will be in front of a busy football day starting with the announcement of the list of the national team, and ending with the launch of the third round of the league.

As for the stars, Al-Jazeera striker Ahmed Al-Harahsheh has imposed himself early as the most prominent scorer, with a score of three goals after two rounds, followed by Al-Salt striker Sulaiman Babatunde and Al-Shabab Al-Ordon player Saoul Castro with two goals each, and specifically in the second round, the Fuseini Gasama stood out by scoring the winning goal for Al-Ramtha, along with Majdi Al-Attar and Ahmed Al-Arsa who scored Al-Faisaly's goals against Duqrah, while Saoul Castro left his mark again with the late equalizer goal for Al-Shabab Al-Ordon.

Today: Duqrah and Al-Salt

.. Between ambition and search

7:00 PM - Petra Stadium

The third round opens with a match between Duqrah and Al-Salt, a match that carries different goals for the two teams.

Al-Salt enters the match in second place, one goal behind Al-Jazeera, with 4 points, after starting the season with a notable 3-1 victory over Al-Arabi, then exiting with a goalless draw against Al-Wehdat. Between the big win at the opening and the draw in the second round, the team presented an image suggesting that it is capable of competing, especially in organization, discipline, and the ability to handle big matches.

Al-Salt will need this time to turn its good start into continuity, and not to let go of the points in front of a team that occupies the last place, and its attacking line will be required to return to the presence, especially as the team has one of the most prominent scorers of the tournament, Sulaiman Babatunde, who has scored two goals so far.

In contrast, Duqrah faces a difficult test, as it is the only team along with Al-Arabi that has not placed any points in its score, and after two losses to Al-Baqaa and Al-Faisaly, the priority for it will be to stop the bleeding of points, and to build a more balanced match than the previous two encounters.

Duqrah's task seems linked to its ability to withstand the pressure of Al-Salt, and then to exploit any spaces that may appear behind the rush of its opponent. A win will change many calculations, while a third setback will increase the pressure early.

Friday: Al-Arabi and Al-Jazeera

.. The leader against the aspirant

6:00 PM - Petra Stadium

Al-Jazeera enters the match at the top of the standings with 4 points, benefiting from the goal difference, but it knows that its current position does not mean much if it does not maintain it.

Al-Jazeera started the competition with an exceptional attacking force when it rained goals on Al-Hussein with a clean 5-0, 3 of which were scored by Ahmed Al-Harahsheh, before settling for a 1-1 draw with Al-Shabab Al-Ordon in the second round, and although the team was close to harvesting the three points after advancing with a goal by Yassin Al-Kakuri, but receiving the equalizer goal in the last minute missed it the victory.

From here, the match against Al-Arabi will be a test of Al-Jazeera's ability to deal with matches that it enters as the candidate on paper; the attacking force is clear, but maintaining concentration until the final whistle will be a basic requirement.

As for Al-Arabi, it is experiencing a completely different start; it lost to Al-Salt 1-3 and then to Al-Ramtha 0-1, leaving it without points, and although the point difference is still compensable, the team needs a quick change in image and results, because continuing losses may turn early pressure into a crisis.

Al-Arabi is required above all to restore defensive balance and search for more effective offensive solutions, while Al-Jazeera realizes that any new setback may cost it the lead.

Friday: Al-Wehdat and Al-Ramtha

.. Between draws and victory

8:30 PM - King Abdullah II Stadium

The attention in the second match of Friday is directed to King Abdullah II Stadium, where Al-Wehdat hosts Al-Ramtha in a match that carries a great fan and technical value.

Al-Wehdat occupies the sixth place with two points, after two goalless draws against Al-Faisaly and Al-Salt, and this start gives the team a good defensive record, but in return it has not scored any goals so far, which is a point that will impose itself strongly on its calculations.

The team has the ability to control the pace of the match and limit the danger of the opponent, but it needs to translate this organization into effectiveness in front of the goal, as three points against Al-Ramtha may push it directly into the competition zone, while continuing the draws will keep it in the circle of teams waiting for the first victory.

Al-Ramtha enters the match in fourth place with 4 points, after a draw with Al-Shabab Al-Ordon and a victory over Al-Arabi, and the team has succeeded in showing a competitive personality, and Fuseini Gasama stands out as one of its offensive keys, after scoring the equalizer goal against Al-Shabab Al-Ordon in the first round and then the winning goal against Al-Arabi from a penalty in the second round.

Al-Ramtha will try to take advantage of its attacking strength and speed of transition, while Al-Wehdat will have to search for the first goal and the first victory, and for this reason, the match seems likely to be one of the most prominent matches of the round.

Saturday: Al-Shabab Al-Ordon and Al-Hussein

.. Confrontation of pressures

7:00 PM - King Abdullah II Stadium

This match may be the most sensitive in the round, not only because of the position of the two teams, but also because of the circumstances surrounding Al-Hussein in particular.

Al-Shabab Al-Ordon enters the match in sixth place with two points, after two consecutive draws, but it presented a striking personality in the second round when it refused to give up against Al-Jazeera, and snatched a draw with a goal by Saoul Castro in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Castro has become one of the team's most prominent cards, and he has two goals so far, while Al-Shabab Al-Ordon needs to translate the fighting spirit it showed into a first victory.

In contrast, Al-Hussein arrives at the match in eighth place with one point, amid influential technical changes, as the club's management announced the departure of coach Ahmed Hayel after the recent results, while Bashar Bani Yassin took over the task on an interim basis.

The decision came after a difficult start for Al-Hussein, which began with a heavy loss to Al-Jazeera with a clean 5-0, followed by a goalless draw with Al-Baqaa, and also came in a period that witnessed additional pressure due to the continental participation.

Thus, Al-Hussein enters the third round facing two simultaneous challenges: restoring balance in the league, and dealing with the change in the technical staff at a very early time in the season.

What is required from Bani Yassin in the first phase is not to rebuild the team entirely, but to restore confidence, return discipline to the back line, and provide the players with clear solutions in the attacking third.

As for Al-Hussein's fans, whose anger at the results was one of the factors surrounding the scene, they will wait for a quick reaction, as the team is the defending champion of the league in the last three seasons, and therefore its expectations are naturally high.

Sunday: Al-Baqaa and Al-Faisaly

.. Realistic test

7:00 PM - Amman Stadium

The round concludes with a match between Al-Baqaa and Al-Faisaly, a match that cannot be separated from Al-Faisaly's continental participation.

Al-Baqaa occupies the fifth place with 4 points, and started the season with a victory over Duqrah, then a goalless draw with Al-Hussein, the team has not lost so far, and has a defense that has kept its goal intact in the two rounds, which gives it a good base before facing an opponent of the size of Al-Faisaly.

But the real challenge will be on the offensive side, as Al-Baqaa needs to present a greater threat in front of the goal and not be content with defensive discipline.

As for Al-Faisaly, it occupies the third place with 4 points, after a draw with Al-Wehdat and a victory over Duqrah 2-0, the team has shown development in the second round, and Majdi Al-Attar and Ahmed Arsan scored the victory goals, which gave the team a morale boost before its Asian commitment.

But the match against Al-Baqaa will come after Al-Faisaly's trip to Doha and his confrontation with Al-Rayyan, which puts the technical staff led by Tariq Mustafa in front of the task of managing effort and physical readiness.

If Al-Faisaly wants to continue its presence in the top four, it must approach the match realistically, especially since its opponent has not suffered any losses so far.

More than just five matches

The third round does not seem like just another stop on the league schedule; it comes at a time when the domestic competition overlaps with the Asian commitment for Al-Faisaly and Al-Hussein, and with the announcement of the Nشامى list for the upcoming gathering.

Also, the small point differences make each match directly impact the shape of the table. Al-Jazeera, Al-Salt, Al-Faisaly, Al-Ramtha, and Al-Baqa'a have 4 points, while Al-Shabab Al-Urdon and Al-Wehdat are only two points away, while Al-Hussein, Al-Arabi, and Duqrah are waiting for a quick change in their course.

The second round also revealed a clear lack of goals, as five matches recorded only six goals, and two matches ended in a goalless draw. These numbers give the upcoming matches additional value, especially for teams that have offensive solutions capable of breaking formations.

At the forefront, Al-Jazeera will have the task of defending the top spot, while Al-Salt, Al-Faisaly, Al-Ramtha, and Al-Baqa'a will try to get closer to the summit. In the middle, Al-Wehdat and Al-Shabab Al-Urdon are looking for their first victory, while attention will be on Al-Hussein after the technical change, and on Al-Arabi and Duqrah as they search for their first point.

Among these calculations, the names of Al-Harahsheh, Babatunde, Castro, Gasama, Majdi Al-Attar, Ahmed Al-Arsan, and others stand out as early headlines for an individual competition that will widen with the passing rounds.

All this makes the third week open to more than one path, but the constant is that the stage of collecting points has begun to take on a more serious character, and that each team now knows that the difference between progress and regression may be one goal, one point, or a moment of concentration in the last minutes.