Al Arabi go head to head against Al Gharafa today in the Qatar Stars League. The big game will take place at the Al Arabi stadium. Al Arabi are eighth in the table with twenty points and have not won in their last three games. The Dream Team will be looking to snatch the three points against their rivals.
Oswaldo Oliviera, the head coach of Al Arabi, praised Al Gharafa’s team ahead of the game: “It will be a tough game against Gharafa, they have many skilled players; it is also a disciplined and strong team.”
“Gharafa are in a decline at this time and is it an opportunity for us to win, everyone has problems and gaps may occur in the games but everyone defends their club crest,” added the Brazilian head coach at the press conference yesterday.
Oswaldo also added that: “I saw the last match of Al Gharafa and they have very nice players. They face some problems in midfield they and want to fight for recovery in the league. This makes them dangerous than they have been so far in the league, so we know we are facing a tough opponent.”

struggling for results
Al Gharafa are currently struggling for form as they have won only one of their last five games. The Cheetahs will try their best to take this opportunity to get back to winning ways. Pedro Caixinha, the head coach of Al Gharafa, is looking forward to the big game: “If we still want to follow our goal in the league, we have 7 matches left to do it. We have some points to fight for so we need these next three points against Al Arabi.”
Speaking about the string of poor results, Caixinha added: “Sadness and disappointment is how I describe my feeling related to the last couple of matches. Muaither and Wakrah were at the bottom of the table and we were still unable to win.”
“When I go to the games I always think about winning but I also think about the process of winning. In these games, I didn’t see the process. Judging by these games it seems like we are not ready to finish in the top four but we are working on improving and we will analyse our mistakes and try to get more points,” added the Portuguese tactician.

Relegation-threatened Kharaitiyat
face new-look Sailiya
Al Kharaitiyat take on Al Sailiya at the Al Khor Stadium. Kharaitiyat are in the eleventh position which means that they are in the drop zone. The Thunders haven’t won any of their last four matches and they will be looking to change that statistic against Al Sailiya.
Ahmed al-Ajlani, the head coach of Kharaitiyat, believes that all the remaining matches are like cup finals: “We are now in the twentieth week and all the games are seen as cup final matches. We will play for victory, we will not accept to end the match without any points.”
“We only scored two goals in six games which means that there is trouble in attack. If you compare missed opportunities and goals scored there is a big difference. In the last game, we had 6 chances in the first half. The defence is good but the problem is attack,” he added yesterday.
Speaking about his opponents, al-Ajlani added, “Sailiya is a well organised and disciplined team, they are getting better and better with each game. They have a good coach with good football knowledge. Sami Trabelsi and I are friends before and after the game but during the game, it’s all about getting the result.”
Al Sailiya are in ninth position with twenty points from nineteen games. They have drawn their last two games and will be looking for the three points in this crunch encounter. Sami Trabelsi, the head coach of Al Sailiya, spoke about the upcoming match: “It’s an important game for the two teams and both teams are on a similar level. They got reinforcements and are stronger now. They are missing a lot of chances but they are creating opportunities.”
Speaking about the changes in his team, Trabelsi added: “Our team is 60% changed as we have some new players coming in from Al Arabi and some players left. We have important games coming up and we need to be concentrated. There is a lot of quality; they can give us lot of options in the offensive area.”
“When we are doing the job there is no brotherhood between the coaches. We both are trying to protect our sides. I respect Ahmed al-Ajlani a lot but we will play to win,” added the Tunisian head coach.

Today’s fixtures
Kharaitiyat vs Sailiya    4:40pm
Al Arabi vs Al Gharafa    6:50pm