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Tribune News Network
DOHA
Relegation-threatened Al Khor will play host Al Sadd in the rescheduled match from Week 5 of the QNB Stars League at the Al Khor Stadium on Wednesday.
The match was postponed due to Al Sadd’s engagements in the 2018 AFC Champions League, where they lost out to Iran’s Persepolis in the semi-finals.
Al Sadd are second in the QNB Stars League table with 26 points, eight adrift of Al Duhail. The Wolves are sure to go all out as they want to be in strong contention for the title that they last won in 2013. They have another game, against Al Duhail, in hand. It has been rescheduled for December 11, also owing to the AFC Champions League.
Al Sadd will miss influential Spanish midfielder Xavi Hernandez, who is out with an injury with a torn muscle. His compatriot Gabi Fernandez will return for the Wolves. Defender Abdulkarim Hassan will be absent as he has to attend the AFC Player of the Year award ceremony in Muscat today. The left-back has been nominated for the honour along with Yuman Suzuki and Kenti Misao of Kashima Antlers.
On the other hand, Al Khor are desperate for points as they are 11th with eight points. They are very much in the danger zone and defeat will be their fifth in a row and ninth of the season.
Al Khor coach Bernard Casoni said: “We’ll face a strong competitor that has players of great technical ability. We’ll play with the same spirit that we displayed in the Al Duhail match, where we provided a good level and were close to a drawn result. We must put in more efforts against Al Sadd.
“I’m seeking stability and consistency in our performance. I haven’t been thinking about relegation or play-off. Our aim is to collect maximum points and the best possible ranking in the table. We don’t even think of play-off,” said Casoni.
Al Sadd coach Jesualdo Ferreira said: “We have four matches until the end of the year; therefore we seek to end the year with good results on our way to the title.” The win over Al Arabi gave us a big boost in preparation for Al Khor, and we need to beat Al Khor to continue our title push.
Ferreira pointed out that Al Khor may be at the bottom of the table but his team will play with caution because Al Khor have quality players and needs to win to get away from the danger zone.
DOHA
Relegation-threatened Al Khor will play host Al Sadd in the rescheduled match from Week 5 of the QNB Stars League at the Al Khor Stadium on Wednesday.
The match was postponed due to Al Sadd’s engagements in the 2018 AFC Champions League, where they lost out to Iran’s Persepolis in the semi-finals.
Al Sadd are second in the QNB Stars League table with 26 points, eight adrift of Al Duhail. The Wolves are sure to go all out as they want to be in strong contention for the title that they last won in 2013. They have another game, against Al Duhail, in hand. It has been rescheduled for December 11, also owing to the AFC Champions League.
Al Sadd will miss influential Spanish midfielder Xavi Hernandez, who is out with an injury with a torn muscle. His compatriot Gabi Fernandez will return for the Wolves. Defender Abdulkarim Hassan will be absent as he has to attend the AFC Player of the Year award ceremony in Muscat today. The left-back has been nominated for the honour along with Yuman Suzuki and Kenti Misao of Kashima Antlers.
On the other hand, Al Khor are desperate for points as they are 11th with eight points. They are very much in the danger zone and defeat will be their fifth in a row and ninth of the season.
Al Khor coach Bernard Casoni said: “We’ll face a strong competitor that has players of great technical ability. We’ll play with the same spirit that we displayed in the Al Duhail match, where we provided a good level and were close to a drawn result. We must put in more efforts against Al Sadd.
“I’m seeking stability and consistency in our performance. I haven’t been thinking about relegation or play-off. Our aim is to collect maximum points and the best possible ranking in the table. We don’t even think of play-off,” said Casoni.
Al Sadd coach Jesualdo Ferreira said: “We have four matches until the end of the year; therefore we seek to end the year with good results on our way to the title.” The win over Al Arabi gave us a big boost in preparation for Al Khor, and we need to beat Al Khor to continue our title push.
Ferreira pointed out that Al Khor may be at the bottom of the table but his team will play with caution because Al Khor have quality players and needs to win to get away from the danger zone.
