Doha: Al Duhail will be looking to bounce back from a shock defeat against Al Wakrah as they take on Al Shamal in Round 7 of the QNB Stars League season today.
Last Thursday’s 1-4 defeat prevented the Luis Castro-coached second-placed side from going level with the reigning champions Al Sadd (18 points) at the top of the standings.
Qatar international Almoez Ali scored the only goal for Al Duhail in the Round 5 match which had been rescheduled due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Red Knights’ camp.
Al Wakrah fought back superbly with goals by Jacinto Dala, Mohamed Benyettou and Hazem Shehata as the Marquez Lopez-coached side clinched their third win of the season to storm into the top four.
However, today’s match against the struggling Al Shamal side should be a cakewalk for the seven-time champions, but for Castro it is more about gaining their confidence back.
“This is a very important match for us. It comes after an unexpected loss that affected us psychologically, but I take responsibility for the loss. We are going through a very difficult work stage that focuses on the mental aspect. When you win five consecutive matches and then lose by four goals, it can have an impact on the players. We must be on top of readiness against Al Shamal,” Castro said.
Al Shamal coach Hicham Jadrane said his team is ready to confront Al Duhail as a fighting unit.
“A difficult match awaits us with a big team full of stars with huge potential, but Al Shamal always prepare to appear like a fighting unit,” he said. Al Duhail are currently in the second with 15 points while Al Shamal at the bottom of the table with four ponits. The kick off is at 5:20 pm at Al Khor Stadium.
In other matches today, Al Ahli and Al Arabi meet at the Grand Hamad Stadium (5:20pm) before Qatar SC take on Al Wakrah (7:45pm) later at the same venue.
