Umm Salal take on Al Shamal as relegation battle reaches final stretch

Umm Salal and Al Shamal, the two teams battling for survival, will face off in a key clash in the QNB Stars League today at 9pm. Umm Salal, coached by Talal El Karkouri, are placed 11th with 16 points, three more than bottom-placed Al Sailiya. Al Shamal, under the tutelage of former Qatar international midfielder Wesam Rizik, are 10th with 17 points, behind on goal difference with Al Rayyan who have the same number of points.
So, it is a foregone conclusion that both Umm Salal and Al Shamal will go all out in search of three points. Meanwhile, Sailiya take on Al Markhiya at the Grand Hamad Stadium. Markhiya are in comfortable position, having made sure of their berth for next season. But Sailiya are still fighting with their back to the wall to escape relegation or play-off match with only two rounds remaining in the competition.
Sailiya, despite surprising Al Ahli with a 4-0 win in Week 20, are staring at relegation, having been placed last in the table with 13 points. Sailiya’s Ghanem al-Qahtani said the win against Ahli has given them confidence. “The Al Markhiya match is very important to us in view of the lack of time after the last Al Ahli match. Our goal is to collect the three points against Al Markhiya and we have no alternative. Winning the last match against Al Ahli undoubtedly gave us a high morale boost,” he said.
Markhiya are coached by Hicham Jadrane who replaced Abdullah Mubarak following their 2-3 loss to Umm Salal in Week 19. And Jadrane managed to make a turnaround in The Oryx’s fortunes as they beat Al Shamal back-to-back that ensured their survival in the top flight.
Markhiya goalkeeper Loay Sharif Ashour said: “We are preparing for the Al Sailiya match and the team is fully prepared for it. Thank God, I presented a good level and all players presented good levels, including the defensive line led by Ayoub Azzi, Saleh al-Yahri and John Benson, and this reflects that the focus was present in the previous two matches. Also the fighting spirit and the desire to win.
He added: “The return of Khaled Radwan to the squad in the next match with Al Sailiya is a great gain, and his absence due to the red card in the Umm Salal match affected the team’s performance in general. It is also a great strength for the team.”
In another match today, Al Wakrah face Al Rayyan at 6pm. The two teams enter the meeting with the motivation to win and collect the three points, especially Al Rayyan, who are ninth in the standings with 17 points.
Al Wakrah (33 points) are also looking forward to victory to maintain their position in the top four as they face strong competition from Al Gharafa and Qatar SC, who both are on 32 points but are placed fifth and sixth in that order.
Al Rayyan are in a must-win situation to stay away from the relegation zone as they are ahead of 10th-placed Al Shamal only on goal difference despite the fact that they both are on 17 points.
Al Rayyan coach Nicholas Cordova, are well aware of the difficulty of the task on hand, especially after their loss to Al Sadd in the Qatar Clasico last week. Cordova said: “In the last match against Al Sadd, we performed well, and we were not lucky enough to take advantage of the chances. Had we scored, we would have got the points the team deserved.”