DOHA: One of the biggest fixtures of the QSL season is upon us with El Jaish ready to take on last season’s champions Lekhwiya in a round four clash at Lekhwiya Stadium here on Friday.
The big fixture has come early and many are anticipating a night of drama and suspense in what could have major repercussions for the rest of the season.
The two giants of Qatari football (first and second in the league last season) will face off at Lekhwiya’s home ground.
Lekhwiya has carried on where they left off last season with an imperious run of wins that has seen them score nine goals and concede none. The attacking trio of Nam Tae-Hee, Vladimir Weiss and Yousuf Msakni have been in blistering form and currently look unstoppable.
El Jaish on the other hand have stumbled early on and don’t look as assured as last season. The Soldiers have played three games and have scored seven but also conceded a worrying four goals.
Defensively, El Jaish seem to be leaking way too many goals, especially against supposedly lesser teams.
Part of the issue for the Soldiers is that unlike other teams in the league, El Jaish took longer to secure major signings over the summer break.
However, with the arrival of left-back Lucas Mendes and striker Romarinho, who played his first game just last week, we may start to see a much improved side in the upcoming clash.
In a head-to-head comparison, Lekhwiya is slightly in the lead. After nine clashes in the top division, Lekhwiya has won three while El Jaish has only won two. The teams have drawn three times — and in the most recent league game Lekhwiya came out on top 2-1.
Although the Red Knights currently have the upper hand, the result in this clash will be difficult to call because both teams have the quality necessary to create chances. Therefore this will be a more tactical encounter with neither side wanting to “blink” first.
A worry for Lekhwiya fans will be the fitness of star player Nam Tae-Hee. He went off late in the round three match against Al Gharafa last weekend.
Whether the Korean playmaker will be ready this weekend is still a doubt but with Sabastian Soria back after injury, coach Michael Laudrup has willing and able replacements.
New El Jaish signing Romarinho looks set to play in one of the biggest derbies of the season. Being thrown into the deep end, the new Brazilian forward will be happy to have already gotten on the score sheet in the previous match. However, the pressure will still be on him in only his second game in the QSL.
Currently, Lekhwiya are in pole position in the league with a possible nine points from three matches, El Jaish find themselves currently in fourth and will be hoping that they can slow down Lekhwiya’s momentum with a win over their fierce rivals this Friday.
This fixture will give a psychological edge to whichever team wins and that should not be underestimated as the season continues to unfold.
With Laudrup currently presiding over a 100 percent record, the Dane will be desperate to continue his winning streak to send out a clear message of intent to the rest of the league this weekend. THE PENINSULA
