By Sports Reporter/Doha
Al Kharaitiyat will visit Al Khor today for their round 11 clash in the Qatar Stars League (QSL) but coach Amar Osim feels edgy going into their away fixture.
The two teams train at Al Khor Stadium but coach Osim feels the real advantage lies with the home side. “This match is like an Al Khor derby. We are happy to play at Al Khor stadium. We have played a lot there this season,” Osim said yesterday during a pre-match press conference.
“We are looking forward to playing there in the future, but the bad thing about tomorrow’s game is that we are playing Al Khor and so we won’t have the ‘home’ advantage,” the Bosnian added.
“We know each other really well. We have played a lot of friendly games. We are neighbours in the training camp. We know it’s going to be a difficult game because the last 3-4 games between the two teams have always been a draw. Even in the friendly matches we had draws,” Osim said.
Osim, who helped Al Kharaitiyat stun former QSL champions Al Gharafa last week, is expecting another feisty contest today.
“I expect a tough game tomorrow as well. They have gained confidence in their last few matches. They have won two out of three games. They have improved and found a formula that’s working for them. And we must be very careful against them,” he said.
“We play better when we have better results and that’s true for any team. The win against Al Gharafa will be good for us. However it will be not good to come onto the pitch thinking now that we have defeated Al Gharafa, we are a good team,” the 48-year-old said.
“The players have shown what they can do. But if we don’t repeat the same performance - physically and mentally - in the matches ahead, then that result will not help us,” he added.
Osim said sluggish performances in the past have cost Al Kharaitiyat who are at 11th position in the points table.
“If I knew what problems we have had then we wouldn’t have been in this situation. Maybe we lacked a little bit of seriousness and played games without full concentration,” Osim said yesterday.
“We also didn’t run as much as we could. Which is why we haven’t been able to replicate last season’s success. And then we have been unlucky in some matches and have had some decisions go against us. When you put all of this together, you get the situation where we are in right now - a team with 10 points and in the 11th position,” he explained.
Al Khor coach Jean Fernandez said his defenders needed to be playing as a unit at the back line today.
“This is a match between two teams who are at the same level. Al Kharaitiyat are an organised team, very tactical and attack well on the counter,” Fernandez said yesterday.
“They are a team that can score a lot of goals. So it will be a difficult game for us. Both teams are coming off victories and so the result will hinge on which team gets the small details right,” Fernandez said just days after his side beat Mesaimeer 2-1.
“When you play big teams like Al Sadd and Lekhwiya, you know what to do. But against a team like Al Kharaitiyat, like I said before, it’s all about concentration,” he said.
“The team that plays with the maximum concentration will be the team that walks away with the maximum points,” the 61-year-old Frenchman added. “We don’t have any absences. We will have the full team available for selection.”
Al Khor face Al Kharaitiyat today at 6:30pm at Al Khor stadium.
Al Kharaitiyat coach Amar Osim.
