An under pressure Al Rayyan will take on Al Sailiya today, knowing only a win will keep their QNB Stars League title hopes alive. With leaders Duhail facing defending champions Al Sadd on Saturday, the second placed Rayyan can cut the gap to one point if they beat sixth-placed Sailiya at the Al Janoub Stadium. With only three matches remaining, Rayyan are desperate for a victory. But they would need to put in a better performance than they did against Al Arabi last week, where they barely managed a draw. 
Rayyan head coach Diego Aguirre expected a tough encounter for his side. “All the remaining matches are difficult. Sailiya are a good team and have some good players and a good coach. We know that the task is not easy, but we are ready to play a good match and achieve victory, which is what we are seeking as we chase league title,” he said
Aguirre added Rayyan need to win all their remaining matches and hope that Duhail slip. “There is no doubt Rayyan faces a difficult task to win the league. However, the opportunity still exists but we have to be at our best and win every match and then we will see what happens. But now we must win the next match against Sailiya,” Uruguayan said.
On the four-points between Rayyan and Duhail, Aguirre said: “We still have nine points to play for and we need to look at getting all those. In football anything can be achieved, and therefore we must win the remaining matches. But it could also be possible that winning these matches would not be enough to win the league.”
Meanwhile, Al Sailiya coached by Tunisian Sami Trabelsi, are sixth with 25 points despite being held 2-2 by Al Shahania last week. The Peregrines have the same number of points as fifth-placed Al Arabi, but are placed behind on goal difference. Al Rayyan had beaten Al Sailiya 2-0 in the first leg. 
In another match today, Al Wakrah face Al Arabi at the Al Sadd Stadium. Wakrah, coached by Marquez Lopez, are seventh in the standings with 21 points and were held to a 1-1 draw by Al Khor last week. 
The Blue Wave may miss the services of their spearhead Mohamed Benyettou, who got injured during the game against Al Khor, but they have options upfront. Al Wakrah coach Marquez Lopez said his team still has a mathematical chance of finishing fifth. 
“The preparations for this round were affected by the lack of time. We played our last match on Sunday and we will go into this confrontation against a strong Al Arabi team on Thursday,” Al Wakrah coach Marquez Lopez said.
“Of course, we are working towards winning the match, like other games, but it will be difficult. The fact is that I am happy with my team because we are playing well of late and creating many scoring opportunities in front of the opponents’ goal. In the end, if you do not score, you must be prepared to receive goals,” he said.
Al Arabi, who played out a goalless draw with Al Rayyan in the previous round, are fifth with 25 points. The Dream Team, coached by Icelander Heimir Hallgrimsson, need to get on a winning run if they want to keep their top four chances alive. Al Wakrah and Al Arabi had played out a 2-2 draw in the first leg.
The high-voltage encounter between holders Al Sadd and leaders Al Duhail on Saturday is the highlight of this weekend’s fixtures. It is sure to be one humdinger of a game, given the high reputation, quality and importance of the match as well as the star presence in both sides. With three fixtures remaining in the league, Al Duhail (46 points) have an eight-point lead over third-placed Al Sadd and are closer to the title.
Meanwhile, Al Gharafa (31 points) are sure to go all out against Al Khor (11th with 15 points) tomorrow with the target of retaining their fourth position, which will earn them a place in the Qatar Cup and chance in next year’s AFC Champions League.
The clashes between Al Shahania (last with 14 points) vs Qatar SC (ninth with 18 points) as well as Umm Salal (10th with 16 points) vs Al Ahli (eighth with 19 points) will also have much at stake, in terms of relegation and improvement in the teams’ rankings.