Al Rayyan players during a training session ahead of match against Al Arabi.
Doha: Al Rayyan will be eyeing to top the QNB Stars League (QSL) points standings when they face Al Arabi in a much-awaited encounter in Week 19 at the Al Janoub Stadium tomorrow.
Al Rayyan are second in the table with 41 points, two less than leaders Al Duhail.
The victory will take Al Rayyan to top spot in the points table, at least until Al Duhail meet Al Gharafa in their Round 19 clash on Sunday.
Al Rayyan, under Uruguayan Diego Aguirre, are on a high after scoring a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Qatar SC in Week 18, when the tournament resumed after a long break forced by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
As far as Al Arabi are concerned, their four-match unbeaten run ended last week when they lost 0-1 to Al Gharafa. Despite the defeat, The Dream Team, coached by Icelander Heimir Hallgrimsson, are fifth in the table with 24 points.
They have six wins, draws and defeats each against their name. Their goal difference is +2 (27 goals for and 25 against).
Al Arabi had lost 1-2 to Al Rayyan in the first leg of 2019-20 QNB Stars League.
Meanwhile, Al Sailiya face Al Shahania in Week 19 the same day. The kick-off will be at 18:45 at the Al Sadd Stadium.
Al Sailiya, under Tunisian Sami Trabelsi, stood sixth in the table with 24 points despite being held goalless by Al Wakrah in Week 18. The Peregrines have seven wins, three draws and eight defeats, and their goal difference is -3, having scored 19 goals and conceded 22.
Al Sailiya have same number of points as fifth-placed Al Arabi, but are placed behind as the latter have a goal difference of +2. Al Sailiya will be keen to finish among the top four and thus qualify for the Qatar Cup and AFC Champions League, like they did last season when they secured a third-place finish, their best-ever performance in the league.
On the other hand, Al Shahania, coached by Nabil Anwar who recently replaced Spaniard Jose Murcia, punched above their weight last week by defeating Al Ahli 3-1. They are still at the bottom of the table with 13 points (two victories, seven draws and nine defeats) with a goal difference of -18 (20 goals for and 38 against).
Al Shahania will be eager to keep collecting as many points as possible, so they can avoid the ignominy of relegation. Al Shahania and Al Sailiya had played out a goalless draw in the first leg of 2019-20 QNB Stars League.
