Al Gharafa players in action during a pre-match training session ahead of their QNB Stars League Round 10 match against Al Wakrah.
Title-hungry Al Gharafa will be looking to secure maximum points against Al Wakrah as the former national champions look to bounce back in the QNB Stars League (QSL).
The two teams meet in a Round 10 fixture today.
As Gharafa are looking to consolidate their place at the top with another win, reigning champions Al Duhail will also target full points in today’s match against Al Khor.
Coached by Slavisa Jokanovic, Al Gharafa are in a two-way battle against Al Ahli who are chasing the points leaders Al Sadd.
The Cheetahs, with 18 points in their account, are one point behind second-placed Al Ahli after winning six matches and losing three this season.
Al Wakrah have won three matches so far and are placed eighth in the standings, but coach Jokanovic is aware of the strengths of their opponents.
“The team’s next match against Al Wakrah will be against a side that likes to retain ball possession and control the game. Their style of play is the same as that of ours,” the Serbian tactician said.
With both teams seeking a positive results, Jokanovic is expecting an exciting contest at Al Sadd Stadium.
“My team will fight for points, which is the same for Al Wakrah, I am sure. The match will be exciting and will attract fans of both teams,” he added.
Both teams are returning to the League after suffering from defeats in the previous round.
Al Sadd's goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb in action during a training session ahead of their key game against Al Rayyan.
Al Gharafa went down to points leaders Al Sadd 1-4 while Al Wakrah lost 0-1 to Al Khor.
“I would say that we made a great effort and wanted a positive result (against Al Sadd), but we were not able to do so. Our result could not satisfy us because we got no points,” Jokanovic said.
“But for this match, we have to focus as we face Al Wakrah. We will aim at a fighting performance against Al Wakrah. When you are a football player, you always have to be motivated in order not to walk in the wrong direction. I am satisfied with the character that the team offered in its previous confrontation against Al Sadd and the desire shown by the players in order to achieve a positive result.
“We must continue to work to make the team provide better results in the future. There is room for development. We can become better and this is at the core policy of our work as it is our duty to make the team improve continuously. Now is not the time to stop and give up hope, especially since many matches await us in the coming period. I hope to use the available time and find time to enjoy this competition,” said Jokanovic.
Al Gharafa’s midfielder Mostafa Esam echoed coached Jokanovic’s statement and said yesterday: “The next match is important for us and our goal is to win. We have to appear in the best way to satisfy our fans and management. We have to apply the coach’s instructions from what we learned during practice sessions.”
Meanwhile, Al Wakrah coach Marquez Lopez admitted that Al Gharafa is one of the strongest teams this season.
“For me, the Al Gharafa team this season is considered as one of the best after Al Sadd and have very good players as well as an eminent coach. It will be a difficult match for us, of course, and there is no doubt about it,” Lopez said during a press conference yesterday.
Al Rayyan's Yacine Brahimi in action.
Despite the difficult confrontation, Lopez said his team is aiming for full points.
“I think our mentality is positive and I know that we lost a lot of points, but we will continue our path. I told the players that we need confidence and train strongly in order to provide the strongest performance against Al Gharafa and come up with a positive result.
“Currently, there is a problem which is that Isais (Sanchez) is injured. I do not know yet the duration of the injury and the period of his absence, which is a big problem for us, as he is the captain of the team. He has an excellent personality and is a very good player, so losing him for a long time will be a problem. But then, there are other players, who will play instead of him and will perform well,” said Lopez.
Al Wakrah player Abdulrahman Mohammed said yesterday: “We have prepared for the Al Gharafa match like any other match and we are preparing strongly. We hope to implement the instructions of technical staff and we can compensate for our loss in the last match. I think that our loss in the last match will be a motivation for us in order to compensate for it and win.”
Meanwhile, Al Duhail, placed fifth in the standings, will be looking to prove that they are up for the title defence challenge.
Al Duhail’s coach Sabri Lamouchi is targeting full points against Al Khor, but said he is aware of the rising self-confidence of today’s opponents.
“We will face a team which has regained self-confidence after achieving their first victory this season and I think the match will be important and difficult at the same time,”Lamouchi, who was appointed coach in October, said.
“In every match, Al Duhail create dangerous opportunities to score, but we have failed to reach the net. But we succeeded in the last match against Al Arabi in taking advantage of the opportunities that we had. My team always focuses on offensive performance in our matches and we will work to take advantage of the opportunities we get so that we put the burden on our rivals,” the French tactician said.
In the third match of the day, Al Sailiya will take on Umm Salal at Al Duhail Stadium.
