Al Rayyan get ready for Qatar Stars League party

It’s no secret that Al Rayyan fans have endured a frustrating time over the years, thanks to their team’s inability to translate promise and potential into titles as often as they would have wanted.
But today, as Jorge Fossati’s men take on Al Wakrah in the Qatar Stars League at Al Sadd Club, they would be hoping that the joy of winning the league title after a gap of 21 years would wash away some of that pain and lay the foundation for greater glories in the future.
In fact, Al Rayyan have announced plans for a big celebration complete with an open bus tour as their win is only a matter of formality. With 57 points from 20 matches in their kitty, a draw against Al Wakrah today would be enough to nail their eighth league title, the previous one coming in 1994-95.
The Lions’ relentless march towards the title has left El Jaish, Lekhwiya and Al Sadd now scrapping for second place with 39, 37 and 35 points, respectively, taking some of the edge from the tournament that has witnessed some close finishes during the past few years.
But the current scenario is such that even if the sporting gods conspire to ensure that second-placed El Jaish go on to win their next six games while Al Rayyan lose theirs, the Lions would probably still win the title on goal difference.
While the 18-point gap between the top two teams with six games to go before the league concludes may be unprecedented in the history of the competition, it also underlines the fact how a good coach and a perfect team combination can tilt the balance heavily in your favour.
Attacking midfielder and captain Rodrigo Tabata has marshalled his resources with distinction, emerging as the leading scorer in the tournament so far with 17 goals, while teammates Sergio Garcia and Sebastian Soria are not far behind on 12 and 9, respectively.
A solid defence has also ensured that Al Rayyan have lost only one match in 20 games, against Al Sadd in December. No team has even managed to hold them to a draw.
Fossati, who led Al Sadd to the Asian Champions League title in 2011, however is keen to carry on with the good work, saying he won’t be resting on his laurels after winning the league.
“There are more games left in the tournament and we would like to win them too. And then with the Qatar Cup and Emir Cup coming up we want to be at our best,” the Uruguayan said on Thursday.
Meanwhile, in another game today, sixth-placed Al Arabi  — coached by Gianfranco Zola — will be looking to pick up points to get back into the top four.
Al Arabi, with a tally of 30 points, take on Al Kharaitiyat who are placed 12 with 21 points from 20 matches. To entertain ideas of sneaking back into top four would require Zola’s men to break the two-match losing streak.
 In the six matches that Al Kharaitiyat have played since the start of 2016, they have won just one match, had a draw and suffered four losses. This set of results has seen them drop to 12th in the standings, just one point away from Qatar Sports Club in 13th place.
Relegation is suddenly a huge threat and Kharaitiyat coach Amar Osim believes improving the confidence of the players is the key to getting back to winning ways. “We will try to improve our confidence which is the main thing we need in this moment and we are missing it. We have a week before our next game and we will work on this aspect during that,” said Osim during his pre-match press conference.
Kharaitiyat have performed inconsistently this season and are not where they ought to be, but Osim believes that his team should accept the situation and work hard to get out of it.
“We have many people in our club who think that we don’t belong where we are in the standings right now. But we are where we are. We have to act according to where we are and not like we belong somewhere else. We need to work hard and get out of this situation,” said the Bosnian.  
Meanwhile Arabi are also under pressure, having suffered two consecutive losses but Zola is keen to use this game to get back to winning and move closer to their aim of achieving a top-4 finish. “This is an opportunity for us. As a game, it’s easier than the last two we have played. But I will treat it as a game like we are playing a team that’s a top of the league,” said Zola.
The Italian added that his team will have to play with total focus if they were to emerge victorious. “We are coming from two losses. We lost the last one badly. I am sure that the players are aware of that. We will have to be focused if we want to win the game, because Kharaitiyat will also want to win. It’s an easy game on paper but we will have to treat it with respect.”
In the day’s last match, 10th placed Al Ahli will look to pull away from the QSL relegation zone when they face Al Sailiya at Al Ahli stadium. Ahli will be hoping to add to their tally of 22 points, to relieve their relegation fears.