Tribune News Network
Doha
Al Ahli host the fast rising and defending champions Al Duhail in an exciting clash of the QNB Stars League on Sunday with both sides aiming to rise to second place in the standings.
Al Ahli briefly held the top spot on the table before Al Sadd notched nine wins in a row to claim the place and are the current leaders with a difference of seven points.
While Al Gharafa are placed second, both Al Ahli and Duhail can climb with a win.
Only two points separate Ahli and Gharafa, and one point is the difference between Ahli and Duhail. Duhail stormed into the top four with 18 points after beating Al Khor last week. The Red Knights are tied with Qatar SC on 18 points and goal difference (+8), but are placed fourth having scored more number of goals.
Al Ahli will be looking to regain second place in the standings, which they lost to Gharafa following their loss (1-4) to Qatar SC in Week 10.
On Friday, Ahli’s coach Nebojsa Jovovic admitted that his team was low on confidence after their loss to Qatar SC. "We suffered a loss of confidence after our game against Qatar SC. We needed to pause, rethink and then move forward as we have learned the lessons of defeat,” he said.
"It is necessary in football that a player always looks forward and works with all his energy for the best. At the same time, I would tell my players that whoever cannot play with all strength is better for him to stay at home. Al Duhail are a strong team and it will be a difficult game for us. I respect them a lot, also their bench strength, and they are the title holders,” he said.
Jovovic, however, expected his players to bounce back. "I have trust in the capabilities of my players to provide a distinguished level, a performance that keeps Al Ahli in their current position. I expect the players to present a distinguished level and provide everything they have in the match. We need our fans at the stadium to support us, especially when we lose and come back stronger with their support in order to achieve victory and celebrate with them. I will be happy if Al Ahli fans came to the stadium and encouraged the team,” said Jovovic.
Duhail, meanwhile, are on the path of recovery after initial fumble with coach Sabri Lamouchi still searching for the right balance. But with Eduardo Rodriguez (Dudu) and Paulo Edmilson in Duhail’s ranks, Lamouchi should fancy his team’s chances against Ahli.
In another match on Sunday, Al Sailiya play Al Arabi at the Al Ahli Stadium. Al Sailiya are seventh with 12 points, while Al Arabi are placed ninth with nine points.
Heimir Hallgrimsson-coached Al Arabi are on a high after defeating Al Kharaitiyat 3-1 in Week 10. The Dream Team thus put behind the disappointment of suffering a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Al Sadd in the Amir Cup final played at the newly-inaugurated Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.
Hallgrimsson said his players must build on recent good performances. "We performed well in the Al Kharaitiyat match and scored three goals in what was an important victory. We hope that we will use this good form in the next match and take advantage of the opportunities that we get to win. It is always important to win, especially in a clash involving Al Sailiya as this match will give us a high morale. A win would also relieve the pressure on the players to give their best and it will elevate us on the points table. So, yes, I would say it is a very important match,” said Hallgrimsson.
Meanwhile, Sami Trabelsi’s Sailiya are having a roller-coaster ride this season. They had recorded an upset 2-1 victory over holders Al Duhail in Week 8, but then crashed to a 1-3 loss to Qatar SC and played out a 1-1 draw with Umm Salal in the last round.
Trabelsi said the busy playing schedule has taken a toll on his team. "There was not enough time to prepare, there is a match every four or five days, and our focus is currently on working to restore physical fitness, and we are working on the offensive aspects as we miss many scoring opportunities,” he said. "I believe Al Arabi is a good team, and I hope that our motivation is greater than that of Al Arabi and we are able to win,” Trabelsi added.
Elsewhere, Laurent Blanc will be hoping for his first victory as Al Rayyan manager as they take on Al Khor today. Rayyan put on a fighting performance against Al Sadd in the last round, before going to leaders. And with Al Khor, who are 11th with seven points, having sacked Frederic Hantz on the match eve, Rayyan should be able to sail through their opponents.
Blanc said he was still hurting from the defeat to Al Sadd. "There is no doubt that I am sad about the loss against Al Sadd. It was also a difficult loss for our players and fans. That is why we are working to get wins starting with our next match against Al Khor. Wins will give the team new identity and personality. There is no doubt that last week we played against a side that is a good team and also has a good coach. Xavi is a coach who was able to make effective changes, but for Al Rayyan, we made only one change when the midfielders felt tired,” said Blanc.
"Our preparation for the Al Khor match went off in the same way that we put together before we prepared for the last match against Al Sadd. So all matches are equally important. The players should know this, that all preparations must be very high and we have a lot to do in order to be able to perform well. The performance was good against Al Sadd,” the French coach added.
Doha
Al Ahli host the fast rising and defending champions Al Duhail in an exciting clash of the QNB Stars League on Sunday with both sides aiming to rise to second place in the standings.
Al Ahli briefly held the top spot on the table before Al Sadd notched nine wins in a row to claim the place and are the current leaders with a difference of seven points.
While Al Gharafa are placed second, both Al Ahli and Duhail can climb with a win.
Only two points separate Ahli and Gharafa, and one point is the difference between Ahli and Duhail. Duhail stormed into the top four with 18 points after beating Al Khor last week. The Red Knights are tied with Qatar SC on 18 points and goal difference (+8), but are placed fourth having scored more number of goals.
Al Ahli will be looking to regain second place in the standings, which they lost to Gharafa following their loss (1-4) to Qatar SC in Week 10.
On Friday, Ahli’s coach Nebojsa Jovovic admitted that his team was low on confidence after their loss to Qatar SC. "We suffered a loss of confidence after our game against Qatar SC. We needed to pause, rethink and then move forward as we have learned the lessons of defeat,” he said.
"It is necessary in football that a player always looks forward and works with all his energy for the best. At the same time, I would tell my players that whoever cannot play with all strength is better for him to stay at home. Al Duhail are a strong team and it will be a difficult game for us. I respect them a lot, also their bench strength, and they are the title holders,” he said.
Jovovic, however, expected his players to bounce back. "I have trust in the capabilities of my players to provide a distinguished level, a performance that keeps Al Ahli in their current position. I expect the players to present a distinguished level and provide everything they have in the match. We need our fans at the stadium to support us, especially when we lose and come back stronger with their support in order to achieve victory and celebrate with them. I will be happy if Al Ahli fans came to the stadium and encouraged the team,” said Jovovic.
Duhail, meanwhile, are on the path of recovery after initial fumble with coach Sabri Lamouchi still searching for the right balance. But with Eduardo Rodriguez (Dudu) and Paulo Edmilson in Duhail’s ranks, Lamouchi should fancy his team’s chances against Ahli.
In another match on Sunday, Al Sailiya play Al Arabi at the Al Ahli Stadium. Al Sailiya are seventh with 12 points, while Al Arabi are placed ninth with nine points.
Heimir Hallgrimsson-coached Al Arabi are on a high after defeating Al Kharaitiyat 3-1 in Week 10. The Dream Team thus put behind the disappointment of suffering a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Al Sadd in the Amir Cup final played at the newly-inaugurated Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.
Hallgrimsson said his players must build on recent good performances. "We performed well in the Al Kharaitiyat match and scored three goals in what was an important victory. We hope that we will use this good form in the next match and take advantage of the opportunities that we get to win. It is always important to win, especially in a clash involving Al Sailiya as this match will give us a high morale. A win would also relieve the pressure on the players to give their best and it will elevate us on the points table. So, yes, I would say it is a very important match,” said Hallgrimsson.
Meanwhile, Sami Trabelsi’s Sailiya are having a roller-coaster ride this season. They had recorded an upset 2-1 victory over holders Al Duhail in Week 8, but then crashed to a 1-3 loss to Qatar SC and played out a 1-1 draw with Umm Salal in the last round.
Trabelsi said the busy playing schedule has taken a toll on his team. "There was not enough time to prepare, there is a match every four or five days, and our focus is currently on working to restore physical fitness, and we are working on the offensive aspects as we miss many scoring opportunities,” he said. "I believe Al Arabi is a good team, and I hope that our motivation is greater than that of Al Arabi and we are able to win,” Trabelsi added.
Elsewhere, Laurent Blanc will be hoping for his first victory as Al Rayyan manager as they take on Al Khor today. Rayyan put on a fighting performance against Al Sadd in the last round, before going to leaders. And with Al Khor, who are 11th with seven points, having sacked Frederic Hantz on the match eve, Rayyan should be able to sail through their opponents.
Blanc said he was still hurting from the defeat to Al Sadd. "There is no doubt that I am sad about the loss against Al Sadd. It was also a difficult loss for our players and fans. That is why we are working to get wins starting with our next match against Al Khor. Wins will give the team new identity and personality. There is no doubt that last week we played against a side that is a good team and also has a good coach. Xavi is a coach who was able to make effective changes, but for Al Rayyan, we made only one change when the midfielders felt tired,” said Blanc.
"Our preparation for the Al Khor match went off in the same way that we put together before we prepared for the last match against Al Sadd. So all matches are equally important. The players should know this, that all preparations must be very high and we have a lot to do in order to be able to perform well. The performance was good against Al Sadd,” the French coach added.