Duhail aim to go 7 clear with win over Sailiya today

Al Duhail will pull seven points clear of their nearest rivals Al Rayyan if they beat Al Sailiya in their rescheduled QNB Stars League fixture at Al Ahli Stadium today.The match was held over from week 5 as Al Duhail were engaged in the AFC Champions League, although they bowed out of the tournament later at the quarter-final stage.Similarly, Al Sadd’s game versus Al Khor in Week 5 has been also rescheduled. It will now be played on November 28.After 10 rounds of action, Al Duhail are top of the table with 22 points, followed by Al Rayyan (18), Al Sadd (17) and Al Sailiya (16).Al Duhail are fresh from their 4-1 defeat of Al Kharaitiyat, while Al Sailiya had lost 1-2 to Al Rayyan in their Week 10 matches played last Thursday.Al Duhail, who have played only eight matches, are the only unbeaten side in the 12-team competition. They have seven wins and one draw to their credit.Coached by Tunisian Nabil Maaloul, The Red Knights’ goal difference stands at +18, having scored 24 goals and conceded six.On the other hand, Al Sailiya, under fellow Tunisian Sami Trabelsi, dropped from third to fourth place last week following their loss. It was The Peregrines’ second successive defeat as they had lost to Al Shahania in Week 9.Al Sailiya have recorded five victories so far. They lost three games and drew one to have a goal difference of +4, having scored 16 goals and conceded 12.Both teams are badly in need of points for different reasons. Al Duhail would not want to drop points in pursuit of the lifting the league shield again. And Al Sailiya would be looking to amass maximum number of points as Umm Salal and Al Ahli are breathing down their neck with one point less. “The game is important as always and our goal is to collect full points. We are at the top of the table and it is an achievement for the great efforts made by our players so far this season,” said Al Duhail coach Nabeel Maaloul“Despite the injuries to some of our players, we have been doing well. I have to mention the contribution of young players who have shown good levels of excellence and proved their worth for the team.“We are facing a difficult game against Al Sailiya. They are a side that has proved its worth and displayed excellence in the games even though they suffered some setbacks.“We play all games with great concentration and the team has achieved some excellent results. Since the start of the league, we have dropped only two points from the draw and we always try to play to win.“With the target of retaining the league title, we must play all games with great determination, discipline and team spirit,” said Maaloul.Al Sailiya coach Sami Trabelsi is also braced for a tough clash.“The clash with Al Duhail will be difficult. We have made the preparations to overcome a difficult stage, especially since our recent results are not good.“We put up below-par performances in the last two games, against Al Shahania and Al Rayyan, and lost both of them. Karim Al Ali pulled out injured halfway through the first game and that had a major impact on the performance of the team.“I hope we will make a strong comeback against Al Duhail and the result will be positive for us.”