Al Duhail coach Djamel Belmadi knows his side can’t afford to drop points for the second match in a row when they clash with Al Khor in the QNB Stars League today. Their 1-1 draw against Al Gharafa last week came as a shock to the team who have been the dominating force in Qatar for five years as far as the league is concerned.
That setback, coupled with Al Sadd’s win against Al Ahli yesterday, saw them drop to the second spot in the standings, and another defeat could leave the team vulnerable as the tournament gathers pace each week.
 “It’s important to achieve victory against Al Khor particularly since we dropped points for the first time after being held 1-1 by Al Gharafa,” said Belmadi.  “It’s also important because the League is going into a break for two weeks due to international commitments and we want to stay on top of the standings.”
Belmadi was averse to writing off Al Khor’s chances in the match despite their lowly ninth spot in the standings.
“Everyone is working hard to get back on track by defeating Al Khor. These three points are also a must for us. Al Khor are a tough team at home, so it won’t be easy. The teams in the middle or bottom half can cause trouble for those on top.  We’ve seen many such instances. That demands us to go into this match with full concentration,” he added.
Meanwhile, Al Khor’s new coach Omar Najhi was also in an upbeat mood ahead of the match. “The atmosphere within the club is positive, everyone is aware of the change in the technical staff. Football is a continuous work and is based on continuity. So every day is a new day to the team. Every coach has his philosophy and there’re issues that need to be addressed,” said Omar.
Al Khor had parted ways with coach Laurent Banide by mutual consent on Monday. Banide’s dismissal followed a series of negative results by Al Khor, culminating in their loss to Umm Salal in the last round and shock defeat to newcomers Al Markhiya in the previous week. They are lying in the ninth position and their only win was against Al Ahli in Round 2. “Our ambition is to improve our results in the league. I’m currently focusing on making our professional and local players push hard, so they bring the best out of them. Only when they work in close co-ordination with the supervision of the technical staff will the team start producing good results,” he added.

Gharafa confident
after Duhail draw
Al Gharafa are riding a wave of confidence after holding champions Duhail to a draw last week. “It’ll be a different ballgame altogether. Our joy knew no bounds after we held champions and leaders Al Duhail to a 1-1 draw last week,” Al Gharafa coach  Jean Fernandez said ahead of his team’s match against Markhiya today. However, he also sounded a word of caution.
“Al Markhiya are coming after holding Al Kharaitiyat to a goalless draw. Their team spirit is very high. They know fully well that they’re newcomers, so they will look to punch above their weight. They’ve a new coach (Yousef Adam), who is back at the helm, and he knows his players well.”  
Markhiya coach Yousef Adam admitted it will be a tough outing for his side. “Al Gharafa are a good side. They didn’t deserve to be on six points after six matches. It’ll be a hard outing for us. They had given Al Duhail a hard time in the last round and we must play a disciplined and focused game throughout. I hope my players will give a tough fight,” said Adam.

fixtures
Today: Al Rayyan vs Qatar SC at Al Sadd stadium 5:15pm, Al Gharafa vs
Al Markhiya at Al Gharafa stadium 5:15pm; Al Khor vs Al Duhail at Al Khor stadium 7:25pm
Tomorrow:  Al Sailiya vs Umm Salal at Al Ahli stadium 5:15pm; Al Kharaitiyat vs Al Arabi at Al Khor Stadium 7:25pm