QNB Stars League returns after a three-week international break with all the six matches of Round 20 scheduled for Friday.
With just three matches remaining in the season, it’s a crucial week for all teams except Al Sadd, who have already wrapped up the title.
With the AFC Champions League to be held from April 14 to 30, the QNB Stars League will be wrapped up by April 10. While Sadd will look to finish the season as unbeaten, there will be intense battle for the top four.
Al Duhail, who are second in the standings with 40 points, can seal the runner-up spot if they beat Al Arabi at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium today. Al Arabi, who are placed seventh with 26 points, also harbor top four finish which makes the contest interesting.
Al Duhail coach Sabri Lamouchi with a clutch of Qatar players – Almoez Ali, Karim Boudiaf, Mohamed Muntari, Bassam al-Rawi, Abdullah al-Ahraq and Assim Madibo – back from the international duty was hoping his star players will continue their impressive performance for the club.
“We must be careful in dealing with the situation of international players who showed a good level with the national team, whether in individual or collective performances. We know that the coming period will be a lot of pressure for players from three back-to-back matches in the league,” Al Duhail coach said.
Al Arabi are an improved team in recent times. We are preparing well for them after the return of our international players from their participation with their respective national teams. This period was good preparation and we will see in the last training session how ready we are for the Al Arabi clash. We want to achieve continuity in the good results that we have managed recently,” Lamouchi added.
Al Arabi coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said his players are ready to go after a good amount of training. “My team is ready for the Al Duhail match. Our preparations proceeded normally, especially during the break. Some teams got rest, but we did not rest and went through good training as we wanted to improve. I am happy that we took advantage of these three weeks as we tried to keep the fitness level high and now we start to focus on the tactical matters of the Al Duhail match,” he said.
In another match, Al Rayyan, who are third with 34 points, face Umm Salal at the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium. The Lions would want to put behind the disappointment of losing 0-2 to Al Sailiya in the Ooredoo Cup final on 26th March.
“This is a very important match for us,” said Al Rayyan coach Laurent Blanc. “My team will be playing for victory. I hope the team achieves victory in the last three matches of the league. We feel Umm Salal may have a specific defensive plan in all of their matches. But I hope Umm Salal will go to the match to play positive because it is interesting to see two teams play attacking football,” the Frenchman added.
“We will play a match every three days during the next stage and this is very difficult. I hope that there won’t be any injuries or absences for us because in the absence of a player, the situation will not be difficult but impossible to manage,” said Blanc.
Umm Salal, meanwhile, are placed 10th with 15 points, and would not want to drop to the relegation zone. The Orange Fortress, coached by their former defender Aziz Ben Askar, have registered three victories, six draws and 10 defeats.
Fourth-placed Qatar Sports Club, who are three ahead of Rayyan, face Sailiya, who are on a high after winning the Ooredoo Cup – their maiden title triumph in top flight. The Kings will be keen to stay in the top four, with Al Gharafa (30 points) and Al Ahli (29 points) breathing down their neck.
Qatar SC coach Younes Ali said: “The match will be difficult, as it comes after a break and with a number of our players on national duty. To play three matches in six days is difficult, which is something we are not used to. Therefore, in terms of the squad, it will include players who are ready the most, especially since we have been keen since the beginning of the season to equip the largest number of players possible.” said
Al Sailiya are placed eighth in the standings with 23 points. Al Sailiya coach Sami Trabelsi said: “We have great determination to win our next match against Qatar SC. We want to get a win because we want to improve our ranking. Our current ranking does not reflect our level and we are not satisfied.
He added: “Playing against Qatar SC will be difficult, especially as they have presented this season an excellent level of football. They have been strong in all matches and looked organised. They have a balanced squad. The match will be difficult but we can see enthusiastic football from both teams. We are all ready and we seek a positive result and three points.”
Meanwhile, champions Al Sadd face Al Gharafa with an aim of staying unbeaten. In other matches, Al Wakrah take on Al Khor while Al Ahli face bottom-placed Al Kharaitiyat.