Doha: Defending champions Al Sadd and title hopefuls Al Duhail return to QNB Stars League (QSL) action today after a long break which was caused due to COVID-19 Pandemic which wreaked havoc on the global sport calendar.
Both teams are facing relatively easy opponents in today’s encounters, and will be looking to secure full points in their respective matches. Al Duhail will look to cement their position at the top by winning against relegation-threatened Umm Salal at the Al Janoub Stadium.
The match will kick off at 4.45pm under closed doors. Al Duhail coach Walid Regragui spoke to the media ahead of their 18th match of the league this season and said his team’s intention is to maintain the lead and win the title.
“Our preparations during the past period were good, especially in the last stage, despite some injury worries. But that is not an excuse because Al Duhail are capable of putting them behind. I hope we will continue to win, maintain the lead and win the title,” Regragui said.
“We know that all clubs would make extra efforts to beat us, but we will work more to show the champion stuff. The match against Umm Salal will not be different and it will serve as a message to all clubs that we are ready to win the title,” he said.
Umm Salal, under Moroccan Aziz Ben Askar, are 11th in the standings with 14 points, the same as Al Khor but behind on goal difference. Umm Salal coach Askar said he will focus more the next five games despite the outcome of today’s match.
“No one knows what can happen in this match that comes after the break. Al Duhail is one of the best clubs in Qatar, we know them well, but we will focus more on our team. We have more than one important game, not only against Al Duhail, because the league will not stop after it. Whether we got a positive result or not in this match, we are focusing on the next five games to get points that help us stay in the QNB Stars League,” he said.
Later, Al Sadd’s match against Al khor will kick off at 7:00pm. Al Sadd, coached by Spaniard Xavi Hernandez whose contract with the club was recently extended for one more season, are currently occupying the third spot in the QSL points table behind leaders Al Duhail and second placed Al Rayyan. Al Sadd’s Assistant Coach David Pratt said his team is ready to face the ‘well-organised’ Al Khor team.
“We are happy with the resumption of QNB Stars League. We are going through a good period because the players are training with full force and motivated to resume the matches. We will start with a difficult confrontation against Al Khor, a team which has strength and is well-organised. In the first leg, we achieved a difficult victory against them. They are strong offensively with players like Thiago Bezerra, Lucca Borges and Ahmed Hammoudan,” Pratt said.
Al Khor, coached by Omar Najhi, are currently under threat of relegation, and are placed 10th in the table with 14 points with three victories, five draws and nine defeats. They lost to Al Sadd 1-2 in the first leg this season in January.
Coach Najhi is aware of the capabilities of Xavi’s men but asked the Al Khor fans to support the team during the confrontation. “Al Sadd is a strong team with players who can make the difference at any time.
But we have players who have great confidence in themselves and we trust them. So anything can happen. Al Khor fans love their team, we need their support, even if they cannot come to the stadium.
There are several ways to encourage, including social media. As for the players, they should be at the top of their focus in the game against Al Sadd,” said Najhi
