Al Arabi players during a training session ahead of their Round 20 clash.
Doha: Al Wakrah and Al Arabi are targeting full points as they take on their respective opponents in the Round 20 of the QNB Stars League (QSL) today.
Al Wakrah, placed third on the table with 35 points, will meet Umm Salal at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. Umm Salal, who lost 0-1 to bottom-placed Al Sailiya in the previous round, are placed sixth with 25 points from 19 matches.
The defeat to Al Sailiya was third successive loss for the Orange Fortress, coached by Wesam Rizik. Al Wakrah coach Marquez Lopez, however, rated Umm Salal tough opponents, warning his team against complacency.
“We have an important match against a strong competitor and we need to make every possible effort to overcome this obstacle and continue the series of positive results in the league championship,” Lopez said ahead of the match.
“We worked hard (third place in the table) to reach this position and now there is no time for complacency. I have no fears. I am confident in my players and I know the importance of the last three games,” he added.
“The advice (to my players now) is that it is possible to create history for Al Wakrah by playing in the AFC Champions League,” said Marquez.
Umm Salal had beaten Al Wakrah 4-1 in the first leg.
Meanwhile, Al Arabi will visit Al Khor today as they target full points to retain fourth position, going into the final two rounds. Al Arabi have 29 points, just two points more than Al Gharafa and any hiccup would dent their hopes of a top four finish.
“I do not expect an easy game against Al Khor, who have outstanding players. We strive to provide the same performance as in the previous match and the same spirit in order to achieve the three points,” Al Arabi coach Younes Ali said yesterday.
“Our goal is to be in the top four. The Al Rayyan match result is a motivation for us to present an honorable show against Al Khor,” Younes said while referring to a 4-2 win over The Lions in the last round.
Al Khor, under Brazilian Andre Lima, are 11th with 12 points (one win, nine draws and as many defeats) from 19 matches. They need to pull up their socks faster if they are to avoid relegation.
Al Gharafa and Al Rayyan will square off in today’s other match.
Meanwhile, Al Sadd, who sealed their second successive title after an 8-2 thumping over Al Ahli in the previous round, will be crowned tomorrow after their match against second-placed Al Duhail at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
POINTS TABLE
POS. CLUB MATCHES POINTS
1 Al Sadd 18 52
2 Al Duhail 19 42
3 Al Wakrah 19 34
4 Al Arabi 19 29
5 Al Gharafa 19 27
6 Umm Salal 19 25
7 Al Ahli 19 23
8 Qatar SC 19 22
9 Al Rayyan 18 18
10 Al Shamal 19 16
11 Al Khor 19 12
12 Al Sailiya 19 11
