Sadd, Rayyan to face off in QSL Cup

An action-packed encounter is on the cards when Al Sadd take on Al Rayyan in a Group B fixture of the QSL Cup today. The concluding Round two match will kick-off at the Al Khor Stadium at 5:35pm.The game was originally scheduled for Monday but had to be postponed twice, first to October 12th and was then moved up by one day.The first change was effected by the Qatar Stars League Management in view of Al Sadd’s friendly against Turkish side Trabzonspor, which the Qatari side lost 1-2, on Sunday. Then, Al Rayyan had made a request that resulted in a second change in date.Going into the game, Al Sadd will be keen to open their account in the competition as they had lost 0-2 to Al Markhiya in Round 1. Al Rayyan, meanwhile, will look to build on their 2-0 victory over Al Ahli in their opener.Al Arabi, Al Ahli, Umm Salal and Al Markhiya are the other teams in Group B, while Group A comprises Al Khor, Al Kharaitiyat, Qatar SC, Al Sailiya, Al Duhail and Al Gharafa.Arabi hope to field Ramadan, Maarafi against Umm SalalAl Arabi are hoping to get the services of injured players Youssef Ramadan and Abdulla Maarafi for their forthcoming QNB Stars League Round four match against Umm Salal on Saturday evening at the Al Gharafa Stadium.Al Arabi coach Qais al-Yaaqobi had excluded the duo from their QSL Cup game against Al Markhiya on Monday night. Ramadan, suffering from a knee injury, had trained a day before the game while Abdulla Maarafi, recuperating from a sprain, had not joined the team practice.They both are expected to soon join team training ahead of the big clash. Al Arabi had defeated Qatar SC and Umm Salal put it across Al Ahli in the previous round of premier club competition in the country.  Al Arabi are likely to resume practice today evening. Syrian professional player Mardik Mardikian will join the squad after his national side’s World Cup qualification Asian Zone play-off versus Australia. Striker Youssef Ahmed is also likely to play against Umm Salal as he has displayed a good level of performance at team training sessions.Duhail’s Khalfan, Muntari back from injuryAl Duhail got back the services of Nasser Khalfan and Mohamed Muntari, who both were out injured for a long time. Muntari had an injury lay-off for nine months. Al Duhail coach Djamel Belmadi fielded both players in their QSL Cup match against Al Gharafa, which they lost by a solitary goal on Sunday.Al Duhail’s experienced defender Dame Traore, who was also recuperating from an injury, competed against Al Gharafa. Nasser Khalfan got hurt in a friendly during the team’s pre-season camp in Austria while Muntari was out of action since the end of last season when he underwent a surgery in London.Al Duhail will now focus on their QNB Stars League home match against Al Ahli on Sunday. Al Duhail are currently on top of the QNB Stars League table with nine points, ahead of Al Sadd on goal difference.