Eighth-placed Al Gharafa take on relegation-threatened Al Kharaitiyat in a Qatar Stars League match in the Al Gharafa stadium today.
The home side have thirty points after their 4-0 demolition of Al Sailiya last week and they will be hoping to continue this form against struggling Kharaitiyat.
Gharafa coach Pedro Caixinha was quick to point out the different motivations of the two teams at the pre-match press conference.
“In this game, both the teams have different situations. We are trying to achieve glory and Kharaitiyat is trying to stay in the league. We will prepare for the lower block and try not to lose the ball in different areas of the pitch,” said the Portuguese tactician.
Gharafa have recently introduced a rougher style of play and according to their Pro Zone match analysis they are going in with more tackles. Speaking about this style of play, Caixinha said, “We are doing more tackles because we are becoming fighters. The most important thing is that everyone in the team is fighting. We have a very good attack; we have almost the same number of goals as Al Rayyan.”
He added: “We have twelve points to play for from four games. If we work hard I believe we can win our remaining games.”
Al Kharaitiyat are only one point clear of the drop zone with twenty-two points, which leaves them in twelfth place. After last week’s loss to Al Sadd they are in need of points in order to remain in the league.
Kharaitiyat coach Amar Osim wants to let everyone know that this game is top priority for them. “At this moment, this is the game of the season for us. From now, until the end of the season, the matches we play are more important as we approach the end,” he said.
“They are a good team to watch. They have many 1-0 and 0-0 matches. They play very tactical games they have a completely different style and we need to adapt,” added the Bosnian tactician.
Kharaitiyat will be strengthened by the recent return of their Senegalese midfielder Issiar Dia. Osim is glad he has found his way back into the side. “Dia is back for us and he wasn’t bad in the last 2 games. We hope for his improvement. In him we have a player that can pass one or two players and in football you need that.”