Qatar Sports Club take on Al Gharafa in the Qatar Stars League today knowing full well only a victory would ensure them their spot in next season’s top flight.
Al Gharafa stunned champions Al Rayyan last week with a impressive 2-1 win. This result means that the Cheetahs are sixth in the standings with thirty-four points.
Qatar SC currently sit in the QSL drop zone with twenty-three points from twenty-four games. However, a win against Gharafa could make a big difference in their quest to beat the drop.
Sebastiao Lazaroni, the head coach of Qatar SC had this to say about the task ahead. “Our situation now is to fight, to prepare ourselves and organize ourselves. We know that Al Gharafa is a strong team and they had a good win against Al Rayyan. We also stood face to face with El Jaish and had a good match.
“For us each game is the most important and we are fighting to survive and stay in the first division,” added the Brazilian tactician ahead of the big game.
Speaking about the last game against El Jaish, Lazaroni added: “We had a very hard season. In the match we have many chances to go ahead but by accident we don’t score. For the first time in my life I see a referee give a good pass to the opponent team and the counterattack results in a penalty but this is football and now those two points we missed feel very important.
“Now we need to prepare for the next match against Gharafa as we need the three points.”
Pedro Caixinha, head coach of Al Gharafa, is not taking the final two games lightly. “This is going to be our second final. We need to play the last 2 games like they are cup finals and we need to prepare for these games like they are finals.”
He also spoke about the upcoming Emir Cup saying, “We will go to these games as preparation for the Emir cup. we don’t care much about the opponent even knowing their situation. We will play our game and try our best to win.
“I just prepare the team for winning and that is the philosophy of this sport,” added the Portuguese tactician.
Caixinha has made a positive impact on the Gharafa team since he joined mid-season.
“I worked with the team for a few months and I am very pleased with the progress they have made. We are trying to create an identity of the club. I can’t prepare for a game without thinking of winning. Our last game was against the champions and the next is against the relegation team for us this is of no concern as we always aim to win,” added the forty-five-year-old.
Sebastiao Lazaroni
