Stumbling Lekhwiya face highflying Al Ahli in round twenty five of the QSL at Al Ahli Stadium today. Lekhwiya will hope to get back to winning ways whilst Al Ahli will be hoping to continue their three-game winning streak.
Lekhwiya are currently in fourth position after consecutive defeats to Al Sadd and Al Wakrah in the QSL. However, after an emphatic 4-0 win against Saudi side Al Nassr in the AFC Champions League the Red Knights will seek to replicate similar form in the QSL.
Djamel Belmadi, head coach of Lekhwiya says that despite the two previous results they are still pushing for second position, “We are concentrating on the second position and we know that the match against Al Ahli will be tough.”
“We need to bypass fourth position. We have to profit from our last win against Al Nassr. Second position is not in our hands. We respect Al Ahli as they have good strikers and we have to be careful about them,” added the Algerian tactician at a press conference yesterday.
Speaking about his side’s ambitions Belmadi said, “To get the second position is dependent on the other team’s result. Our team circumstances are good. We are motivated by our win against Al Nassr. We have still to get something from there seasons and Lekhwiya is always competing to win trophies.”
“Emir cup is coming up and we need to concentrate on that. For us Ismaeel Mohammed and Chico Flores will miss the Al Ahli game,” added the forty-year-old.
Al Ahli are currently ninth in the table after a string of three consecutive wins. And with thirty-one points they have ensured a spot in next seasons QSL. They will be keen to continue this good run of form against Lekhwiya who have lost their last two matches in the QSL.
Umm Salal face El Jaish
Umm Salal go head to head with El Jaish at Al Sadd Stadium today. Both teams are aiming for a top four finish this season and the result of this game will have a huge influence on the standings as we approach the end of the QSL season. Umm Salal currently occupies fifth place in the QSL standings, two spots behind their third placed opponent. The Orange fortress has thirty-eight points from twenty-four games after back to back 1-0 wins against Al Wakrah and Al Arabi.
Bulnet Uygun, the head coach of Umm Salal is satisfied with his team’s performance so far. “I’m really satisfied with the performance of the team this season even though we had some problems some injuries. However, the rest of the player did very well and now we have two matches left against El Jaish and Kharaitiyat. We will try our best to get the points. Each of these games requires a different strategy and I hope we can win.”
“El Jaish are a very strong team. They are playing in the AFC Champions League; they are doing well in the league, but we are not afraid. We are playing these last two games to win,” added the Turkish tactician speaking about the importance of the final two rounds of the QSL.
El Jaish are riding high after securing qualification to the next round of the AFC Champions League after a stalemate against Nasaf. The soldiers are third in the QSL and will try to regain second spot with a win against Umm Salal.
Sabri Lamouchi, the head coach of El Jaish had this to say about the importance of the final two games of the season, “If we want to achieve second place and qualify for the Qatar Cup it’s up to us and the players to win these remaining two games and finish the season on a high.”
“I wanted to show you how proud I am of my team and my players. There is only one team to qualify to the next round of the AFC Champions League before the last two matches of the groups are played and that team is El Jaish,” said the Frenchman.
El Jaish have played in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday and Lamouchi believes that now is the most crucial part of the season; “Five days is enough to prepare and recover for the next match. Now is the money time and if we want to achieve second place we need to work hard. Our match is against a tough team and we need to play like we are playing a Champions League game,” added the 44-year-old.
Lekhwiya are currently in fourth position after consecutive defeats to Al Sadd and Al Wakrah
