The Week 18 of QNB Stars League starts Saturday where Al Duhail seek to enhance their lead ahead of Al Arabi.
Al Sailiya face Al Duhail in Week 18 of the 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League at Al Ahli Stadium on Saturday.
While the two teams are in contrasting situations, Al Duhail right at the top and Al Sailiya at the far end in the table, both will still be in need of a win to strengthen their position in the standings.
Al Sailiya desire to achieve victory to shore up and move away from the relegation zone.
As for Al Duhail, they are looking to stay at the top and retain their championship lead, aiming for the title especially after their recent Ooredoo Cup triumph their first title of the season having beaten Umm Salal in the final 1-0 on Tuesday.
The task for Al Sailiya therefore becomes all the more difficult and they enter the clash with nine points, while Al Duhail have 39 points and want to reach 42 in order to ensure their place at the summit.
The match as a whole will be difficult for both sides, especially Al Sailiya who have made an adjustment to their coaching staff with young coach Mirghani Al Zain assuming the technical task instead of veteran Tunisian Sami Trabelsi.
Al Sailiya have been able to win only two matches in the league so far and as such the new coach will have a challenging role with the side taking on Al Duhail.
The Red Knights, however, will not be taking the opposition lightly knowing well that Al Sailiya would produce their best seeking to wriggle out of the danger zone.
Al Sailiya face Al Duhail had played out a 1-1 draw in their first-leg meeting in Week 7.
Meanwhile, Al Arabi face Umm Salal in Week 18 of the 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League at the Al Arabi Stadium on Monday.
Both teams seek the three valuable points given their respective positions.
Al Arabi are second in the points table with 37 points and aim to continue their progress and chase leaders Al Duhail. In contrast, Umm Salal are 11th with 13 points and want to win the three points in order to move away from the danger zone.
Both teams possess winning abilities and have players of a high calibre in all positions and their coaches know the capabilities of the rivals also well.
The two teams had met recently in the semifinal of Ooredoo Cup and Umm Salal rallied to bounce back from being a goal down to win 2-1.
Al Arabi, however, would be looking forward to continuing their winning run in the league and pursue Al Duhail, which are two points ahead and at the top. The team will look to beat Umm Salal this time round and avenge their Ooredoo Cup exit.
As for Umm Salal, who were edged 1-0 by Al Duhail in the final of Ooredoo Cup, the match would be an opportunity to move ahead in the rankings and also to showcase their good form.
Umm Salal coach Talal El Karkouri hopes to motivate his players, work on the psychological side, and inspire their enthusiasm.
For sure, the match will not be easy for either of the teams due to the motives with which they enter the confrontation and the desire to fetch the valuable points.
The first-leg clash between Al Arabi and Umm Salal had ended in a 1-1 draw in Week 7.
Source: Qatar News Agency