Lekhwiya will be aiming to make lost ground when they take on Umm Salal in the Qatar Stars League today.
The four-time champions are third in the standings, four points adrift of table-toppers El Jaish, and cannot afford to slip up further if they are to challenge for their fifth QSL title since becoming part of the top flight in 2010.
Although Djamel Belmadi’s men are still unbeaten this season they have conceded three draws allowing El Jaish to power ahead and stake their claim as genuine title contenders. “After the last two draws we want the three points. We had a good performance the last game (against Al Rayyan) but could only draw the match. Now we look for a positive result against Umm Salal,” Belmadi said at his pre-match press conference.
“There are no easy games this season I think, and Umm Salal will be a real challenge for us. They have extra motivation to get a result from Lekhwiya. They have troubled us over the years. At least three teams will be relegated this season and every team will be fighting for the points so no game will be easy,” the Frenchman added.
Belmadi also reflected on his side’s last game against Al Rayyan and stressed that the dropped points won’t affect his team’s confidence.
 “Of course we wanted to win against Al Rayyan. We played well as a team in this game but the draw won’t affect our confidence going into the game.”
He expressed confidence in his players and reflected on his celebrations after Lekhwiya scored the equaliser against Rayyan last week.
 “I believe the players played well and deserved to score an equaliser. That is why I celebrated so much. This result shows our fighting spirit and our aim is still to win the championship.”
Meanwhile, sixth placed Umm Salal  are looking for their third win of the season but head coach Bulent Uygun had no illusions about the huge task on hand.
“Lekhwiya are one of the best sides in Qatar, always fighting for titles. They are like Real Madrid in many ways. This will be a tough test for my side,” he said.
Uygun also revealed that his side will be without two key players in defence for the match at Qatar SC stadium. “Both Jawad Ahnash and Anderson Martins will be unavailable for this game. It is a major blow for us not having these players. However, we have a big squad and I believe someone will step up for us in this game.”
Al Rayyan, meanwhile, face a resurgent Muaither who have created a sensation of sorts by winning their last three games.
“We are playing the QSL champions and our aim is to not lose heavily like we did against Lekhwiya and Al Sadd,” Muaither coach Phillipe Birol said.
 “We try step by step to do better. We spoke with the players and we started the league badly, but we have grown in confidence and we have improved and focused on our weak points. We have plenty of confidence and I am happy with the spirit in the club. We have many good players who are happy to work for the side.”
Rayyan coach Michael Laurdup is also wary of Muaither. “We will play one of the form teams in the QSL, who are full of plenty of confidence at the moment. They have showed that they have a very good side and three wins in the league underlines this.”


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