Al Duhail are in a class all their own. In 11 matches – exactly half of the 22 each team are meant to play in the QNB Stars League – they are the only team yet to register a loss. It is therefore unfathomable that their campaign would be blotted by a defeat to relegation-threatened Al Khor when they clash today.
Yet, coach Nabil Maaloul was not taking anything for granted.
“There is no easy game in the league. Much will depend on the focus of players who enter the field. We must maintain our composure on the pitch and work hard to achieve the goals,” Maaloul said.
The Tunisian added that the injury to their Korean star Nam Tae-hee has come at a wrong time.
“The injury to Nam Tae-Hee is a big blow to the team. We will deal with this injury as we dealt with all the injuries that have occurred previously to our distinguished players.
“We return to the league after the break and now we will play the second game in the second leg. We know that we will face a team with a competitive spirit and the game will be difficult.”
Al Khor, who have only eight points from 11 matches will be looking for only their third win, with coach Bernard Casoni saying they can pull off a surprise.
“We know that we will face a big team that is on top of the QNB Stars League, so we must be careful not to make any mistakes,” said Casoni.
“During the break, we focused on the physical aspects of players because we will be playing three games in eight days. On the other hand, each game has its own technical preparations. Against Al Duhail, we will fight and will not give up. We will play for a positive outcome.
The other key clash today involves second-placed Al Sadd and eighth-placed Al Arabi, with Jesualdo Ferreira’s men aiming to close the gap with Al Duhail.
Although Al Sadd are second in the standings, they are eight points behind Al Duhail and will need nothing less than a miracle to overcome that situation.
“This match against Al Arabi is a derby we seek to win. We still have a chance to win the league,” Ferreira insisted..
“What happened in the Al Ahli match (Al Sadd lost 4-1) will not be repeated. We have to fight against Al Arabi and we have to work hard to win. We have a tough team and this is a good thing so that everyone is motivated and ready, and we hope we will succeed in our mission,” added.
He also congratulated the Qatar national team for their victory over Switzerland and draw with Iceland in two recent friendlies.
“I am very happy that seven players from Al Sadd were in the line-up. It’s a matter of pride for us in the club.”
Al Arabi coach Hatem al-Moaddeb said Al Sadd will be under pressure as they are competing for the title.
“Our victory against Al Khor in the last round, which came after five successive defeats, has boosted our players’ confidence. So they’ll play more freely. On the other hand, Al Sadd will be under pressure as they’re competing for the title.
“The big defeat that we suffered at the hands of Al Sadd in the first leg of QNB Stars League is history. We’ve put it behind us. We’re now focusing on putting up a strong performance. We’ve prepared well. Results will follow.”
In another match today, Al Gharafa will clash with Al Sailiya.
“We’re having a very important game against Al Sailiya, who’re direct competitors for us to finish in the top four. The points from this game will help us a lot,” said Al Gharafa coach Christian Gourcuff.
“Al Sailiya are a well-knit unit under an efficient coach, so we’ve to be better than them in all departments of the game. They have some outstanding players such as Nadir Belhadj. The key to victory will be a brilliant overall display.
“We didn’t benefit much from two-week international break as a number of our players were on national-team duty. Besides, they don’t get time to recover,” said Gourcuff.