Having wrapped up the QNB Stars League title with plenty to spare, Al Duhail will be formally crowned champions on Saturday when they meet Al Sailiya in their final match of the tournament. The match will be played at Al Duhail Stadium at 6.15pm.
Al Duhail will be keen not to allow Al Sailiya to play spoilsport in their crowning glory as they are the only unbeaten side in this season’s league competition. They dropped points only on three occasions when they were held to draws.
Algerian coach Djamel Belmadi succeeded in instilling high confidence in his wards and that reflected on their marauding run. They have 18 wins to their credit, three more than second-placed Al Sadd and six over third-placed Al Rayyan.
Al Duhail, who defeated Al Markhiya 4-2 in the last round, also have scored the most number of goals (81) and have the best goal difference of +56. The Red Knights had emerged as champions after their 5-0 victory over Al Kharaitiyat and closest challengers Al Sadd lost 1-2 to Umm Salal in Week 20.
“Our first target was to win the league which we’ve done. Our second target is to end the season without any loss,” Belmadi had said after they had taken an unassailable lead.
“I think it can be achieved and I feel it’s incredible to win a league without having lost a game. Throughout the season, the senior players stood up and delivered in such a positive way. We got some really good results. We didn’t lose a single match,” he added.
The battle for the top-scorer award has also gone down to the wire between Al Duhail’s Yousef El Arabi (26) and Yousef Msakni (25).
Meanwhile, Al Duhail recorded their fifth consecutive win in the AFC Champions League by defeating Iran’s Zobahan in Isfahan on Tuesday. They had become the first team to make it to the Round of 16 after the fourth round.
Al Sailiya, who had beaten Al Ahli 3-0 in Week 21, have been assured of the sixth place as they have four points more than Al Arabi (24). Yet, The Peregrines will be keen to end their campaign on a high.
However, Sami Trabelsi’s men will certainly be ruing their inability to finish among the top four. They were in the fourth position for long before being surpassed by Al Gharafa and Umm Salal.
