Action from week 11 of the QNB Stars League in Doha.
Doha: Third placed Al Sadd will aim to catch-up with QNB Stars League (QNB) leaders Al Duhail and second-placed Al Rayyan when they begin second leg campaign against Al Kharaitiyat here today.
Al Sadd, who have two matches less from the first round owing to AFC Champions League commitments, will have three points on their minds as The Wolves bid to narrow the gap at the top with Al Duhail and Al Rayyan.
Al Duhail are on top of the QNB Stars League standings with 28 points, seven more than second-placed Al Rayyan, while Al Sadd have 20 points from 9 matches.
Visitors Al Kharaitiyat face an uphill task when they run into Al Sadd in Week 12 action.
The teams go into the match with totally-different missions.
The Wolves have won six games, drawn two and lost one.
On the other hand, Al Kharaitiyat desperately need points to avoid relegation and have only three points.
Elsewhere today, defending champions and table toppers Al Duhail and Al Shahania will open the action by facing off at the latter’s home turf. Both teams go into the match on a confident note even though it has to be seen whether Al Shahania will be able to upset the applecart of Al Duhail side.
Al Shahania are coming from back-to-back draws, against Umm Salal and Al Gharafa.
Meanwhile, Al Duhail coach Nabil Maaloul said his team aims to continue the winning streak but warned his players that Al Shahania are no pushovers.
“This is an important match for us because it is the first game of the second leg. We want to continue at the same pace and we know that we are having a difficult game against a team that faced a number of difficulties. In the first leg, they managed to present themselves well in many matches,” Maaloul said.
“We do not look only at the statistics, but on our preparations for each game. This season, we try to avoid any slip-ups and just think about achieving positive results in all games by keeping our performance up.
“I expect a difficult game, but as I always say to my players, they make the game easy or difficult. We are facing a tricky side, so we must focus more on the defence and offence,” he added.
“We do not care about the fact that we are the leaders after the first leg and that the league title is in our sights. As I said before, the league will only be decided in the last few weeks,” said Maaloul.
Meanwhile his opposite number Jose Murcia said that the match against Al Duhail will be a tough one.
“A tough match is awaiting us in the opening round of QNB Stars League’s second leg in the form of Al Duhail. We know the importance of the game because our opponents are leaders and winners of the league title more than once.
“Al Duhail are also strong contenders for the QNB Stars League title this season along with Al Sadd. We will go into the game with great respect for them, but we always play to win and we will fight for it. I think the time that went by was good for us. I am happy with my players’ performance and the enthusiasm they have shown to achieve our goals,” he added.
“When you want to be a competitive team, you have to work to strike a balance between defence and attack, and we are working on it. It is not just about performance, but also psychological,” said Murcia.
