Despite stark differences in their history and expectations from their fans, when Al Arabi and Al Sailiya play one another, they usually seem to produce some great football and a pulsating 90 minutes of football.
As the two teams prepare to face off today (6:25pm), statistics from the last six seasons show just how finely balanced this rivalry is as they face one another for the 12th time.
Since 2010-11, each team has clinched victory on five occasions and the teams have shared a point only once.
The match is an opportunity to take away the bragging rights and, if the history repeats itself, it is expected to produce plenty of goals.
With 31 goals scored by both teams in the past six years, a dead heat in the head-to-head and both teams desperately needing the three points, today’s clash should be a thriller.
Al Arabi are sixth in the table with 16 points from 13 games. The Dream Team will be looking to improve their position in the table with a win against Sailiya.
Edison Aguirre, the head coach of Al Arabi, is expecting a tough encounter, “The next game will be the start of the second round against Sailiya. It will be a difficult game like the first round. We respect Sailiya a lot and we hope to grow step by step in the ranking. We made some changes over the break and are looking forward to seeing how our performance will be against Sailiya.”
Speaking about his team’s defensive vulnerability, Aguirre added, “When you look for a balance and try to attack, it’s a risk. Like in the game against Umm Salal, we conceded an own goal at the end. So it’s a huge risk when you try to control the game, which is our style of play.”
Al Sailiya are in the drop zone after two back-to-back defeats.
Sami Trabelsi, the head coach of Sailiya wants his team to improve in the second half of the league, “We hoped to have a longer break but it’s so short. This period is very important for our team. We have many injured players and we expect some players to come back. We are facing Al Arabi who have a lot of good players. In the next round, we can’t make mistakes and we have to play better and get better results.”
Speaking about the possibility of relegation, Trabelsi added, “We have eighty percent of the same players who gave Al Sailiya glory in 2014 by reaching the final of the Emir Cup. So I don’t think we will be relegated this season. I’m not worried about that.”
In the other 6:25pm kickoff today, Al Khor will take on Umm Salal.
Al Khor beat champions Al Rayyan in their last game and are ninth in the table with 12 points. The Knights will be looking to inch forward in the table with a win against Umm Salal at home.
“We have a lot of respect for Umm Salal. We have an obligation to play well and to win. The match has become more and more difficult that’s why we have to try our best to collect points,” Khor coach Jean Fernandes said.
“Umm Salal don’t lose easily and haven’t lost a lot of matches. They have players with strong presence on the field. After the Al Rayyan match, our team have regained full confidence but during the break we didn’t just work for the next game but for all games which are coming up,” added the Frenchman.
Umm Salal coach Mahmoud Jabber said he is happy with the team’s improvement over the break. “This is my third game with the team. Now I have had more time to work with the team and I used the break well. I hope we can end this match with a positive result. We are facing a strong team, who are coming off a win against Rayyan. We will do our best after some games to be farther from the drop zone. So it’s important for us to play all the games well and not just the next one.”
Rayyan will face Al Shahaniya at Al Arabi Stadium in the early kickoff (4:15pm).
Shahaniya, who are in the drop zone in 12th place with 12 points from 13 games, have parted ways with Jose Fernando and have hired a new coach from Croatia, Igor Stimac.
“I know Shahaniya didn’t fulfil expectations in the first round and it’s my job to change that. Some of our players are injured but we can bring players from the bench,” Stimac said.
The defeat against Khor has left Michael Laudrup’s outfit in the fifth spot in the standings.
“They have a new coach and they will try to play tactically because it’s his first game. They are a good team and we will be looking for the three points against them as it’s important for us,” Laudrup said.
“We have to play AFC Champions League and we don’t know what’s possible. I focus on the present. I focus on the game tomorrow and I don’t like to look too much into the future. We take it one by one and one game at a time,” added the Danish tactician.

Today’s matches
Venue: Al Arabi Club
4:15pm: Al Shahania vs Al Rayyan
6:25pm: Al Arabi vs Al Sailiya

Venue: Al Khor Club
6:25pm: Al Khor vs Umm Salal