The matches between Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa always evoke a keen interest on and off the field, and it will not be different this time too. The two sides clash today at the Al Sadd Stadium, in what is easily the pick of the games in Week 9 of the QNB Stars League.
This is a game between two traditional forces on Qatar’s football scene. Nothing less than a victory will satisfy Al Rayyan, placed fourth with 14 points, and Al Gharafa, seventh on 10 points.
Rayyan always benefit much from their die-hard fans’ support. Both sides have star players in their ranks and that adds to the excitement. Rayyan are coming off a 0-1 loss to Al Khor, while Al Gharafa are on a high after their 3-0 win over Al Arabi.
The defeats had seen both losing sides and their coaches part ways. While Al Rayyan replaced Argentinian Rodolfo Arraubarrena with Bulent Uygun, who coached Al Gharafa in the second half of last season, Al Arabi dismissed Croat Luka Bonacic and gave charge to their Under-23 coach Hatem al-Moaddeb.
A win will help Al Rayyan stay in the top four, while it is a must for Al Gharafa in their bid to be among the top quartet. Both teams have good players in attack and defence. Al Rayyan’s charge will be led by Sebastian Soria, Lucca Borges and Rodrigo Tabatta. Al Gharafa have the likes of Mehdi Taremi, Ahmed Alaaeldin and Vladimir Weiss.
Ahead of today’s match, Rayyan’s Ibrahim Masoud said it’s must-win game for his side. “It will be a tough match especially since Al Gharafa are in great form having defeated Al Arabi in the last round.
“On the other hand, we had suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Al Khor and we must collect three points. They are very important to us. As a player, I have to do my best. We have some big players, but I will strive hard to gain the confidence of our coach,” he added
Masoud said the atmosphere is good in Rayyan’s camp despite a difficult start to the season. “I had only one training session with the team after doing Olympic duty. The atmosphere is good in the team camp and there is great enthusiasm among all players. We cannot say now in which position we would finish this season, but we are going to compete for the best positions,” said Masoud.
Meanwhile, Gharafa coach Christian Gourcuff said his team will go all out for victory.“We are eager to build on our victory over Al Arabi in the last round. We were without a number of our players during the break. Yet, we will try to win,” he said.
“We know that the game is important and we are looking for a positive result. The game is derby and we know its importance and value. It is important for me to put up a consistent performance throughout the game,” Gourcuff added.
Gharafa coach said star player Wesley Sneijder has started to train but was not committing on when the Dutch star will return to the playing XI. 
“Our problem is that we do not stay concentrated throughout. The injuries also add to our woes and that is adversely affecting our performance. (Wesley) Sneijder has begun training with the rest of the players as he is recovering from an injury.
“We will wait until the last moment before taking a decision on whether to field Schneider or not. Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi is proving his worth. We were so unhappy over a series of negative results we have had and were under pressure to achieve positive results,” said Gourcuff.