Leaders Al Duhail face top-four chasing Al Ahli, while reigning champions Al Sadd will look to continue their winning run as they face Umm Salal in the QNB Stars League today.
Duhail are four points ahead of Al Arabi, who have lost two successive matches to drop down to second. The Red Knights have shown splendid form since the league returned to action following the World Cup break. But against Al Ahli side, who are fifth with 17 points, Duhail will find a tougher opponent.
Ahli registered a 3-1 win over Umm Salal in the last round having to rally after being a goal down for their fourth victory of the season.
Duhail’s Argentinian coach Hernan Crespo said his team will face one of the in-form teams of the league. “An important match for us against a big team that plays well in every match, but it is up to us to present a good match and come up with the result we want,” Crespo said yesterday.
“I trust the capabilities of my players as we have a complete squad and the problem I always face is choosing the players to start the match. Our match in the first leg against Al Ahli was difficult and ended in a draw. We were not lucky in that match after they scored the equalizer in the last minutes,” he added.
Ahli’s Montenegrin coach Nebojsa Jovovic knows the task will not be easy for his team, with Duhail’s forwards Michael Olunga and Almoez Ali posing a huge threat. “The match will not be easy as Duhail are top of the standings,” Jovovic said.
“But Ahli has the quality to face Duhail in the best way and compete for points. As a coach, I work to develop performance and address the negatives that appear to me in order to reach the best level. I have full respect for Al Duhail team and they are the strongest team in the league at the moment.
“Facing them requires a lot of focus and the team will be ready for the match,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sadd will look to continue their march to top four. The Wolves are in sixth, while Umm Salal have fallen to the 11th and penultimate place in the table.
Sadd, who missed many of their Qatar Internationals as they were away training for the World Cup, have shown their quality with a full-strength squad. Umm Salal have terminated the contract of Wesam Rizik and handed over the reins to Moroccan Talal El Karkouri.
Sadd coach Juan Manuel Lillo Juanma said his team will have to be wary of Umm Salal due to managerial bounce.
“The match will be a bit special because of the presence of a new coach for Umm Salal, who arrived a few days ago, and this will give the clash a completely different character. We know the difficulty of every match we play. I hope we will be better than our last match against Al Markhiya. We will aim not to miss opportunities and to be stronger and more focused in front of the opponents’ goal,” said Juanma.
In another much-anticipated match today, Al Arabi take on Al Rayyan. Both teams will fight hard for the three points as Arabi aim to get back to winning ways. Al Arabi coach Younes Ali will try to compensate for the recent losses suffered by his team so that they do not move away from the position of strength. He would also be wary of the chase being made by Qatar SC and Al Gharafa besides the rise of Al Ahli and the surge of Al Sadd.
Rayyan, who advanced to the 10th place with eight points having achieved their second victory this season overcoming Al Shamal 2-1 in the last round, will look to revive their position in the standings table. Cordova will rely more on two stars who have joined the team just recently – Moroccan Sofiane Boufal and Chilean Jason Vargas.
Meanwhile, Al Wakrah face Al Gharafa in what is expected to be a gruelling affair. Wakrah are fourth in the standings with 18 points, while Gharafa are seventh with 16 points.