Action from the QNB Stars League match between Al Wakra and Al Gharafa at Al Wakrah Stadium.
Doha: Al Shahania will be desperate to open their account in the points table when they face Umm Salal in Week 6 of the 2019-20 QNB Stars League at the Al Arabi Stadium today.
Bottom-of-the-table side Al Shahania, coached by Spaniard Jose Murcia, would hope to post their first victory in this season’s tournament sooner rather than later, while Umm Salal will definitely target their second win, having been off the blocks slowly.
The Orange Fortress could taste victory only last week when they put it across Al Wakrah 2-1.
Al Shahania lost 0-1 to Al Duhail last week.
Umm Salal, under the tutelage of Raul Caneda (also from Spain), have four points. The other point came from their drawn encounter with Al Rayyan in the very first round. However, their form dipped since then.
Al Shahania, the promoted side in the 2018-19 QNB Stars League, would not want to get relegated, whereas Umm Salal are targeting a finish among the top sides. So the contest is sure to be fought keenly.
“We know we’re facing Umm Salal, who won last week against Al Wakrah, but we aren’t focused on it. Rather, we’re focused on winning three points to improve our position in the table, Murcia said.
“We’ve been training well and the players’ morale is high. We aren’t bothered about other teams’ results. If we get three points, we’ll be better. It’s important for us to have confidence in our abilities. I’m confident that in the near future things will change positively in the team,” Murcia added.
Umm Salal coach Caneda said that they will face an improved Al Shahania
“Al Shahania are improving after every game. Their players are great fighters, so I expect a keen battle. This game is very important for us.
“We respect Al Shahania and know that they’ll try to score their first points. We hope all our players will be ready for the game.
“We won three points last week and if we win this week too, we’ll be in a better position. I’ve spoken to the players and asked them to do their best to win because these three points are very important to us,” said Caneda.
Meanwhile, Qatar SC coach Wesam Rizik said his team had a big challenge on hand against Al Ahli.
“We’ve a tough task on hand, especially because our position isn’t good in the standings even though we scored our first win last week, against Al Khor. It has had a positive impact on the players’ morale. The team needs to continue to work in all upcoming games.
“Al Ahli have many good players. They play in an offensive style, have good quality professional players and a reputed coach, so the game will be fought keenly.
Al Ahli coach Ruben de la Barrera said Qatar SC is a diffcult team
“Playing against Qatar SC will be very difficult. We’re seeking win against Qatar SC by putting up a strong performance and thereby compensate for the loss in our last two games, against Al Gharafa and Al Rayyan. We’ve prepared well for this match.
“We want to pressurise the opponents and score goals. We must avoid mistakes that we committed in the last moments, as happened in the games against Al Gharafa and Al Rayyan.
