Al Duhail will take on Al Rayyan in the much-anticipated Ooredoo Stars League clash at the Khalifa International Stadium on Friday. The kick-off is at 8.30pm.
Duhail are coming to the match with a three-point lead at the top of standings, following their impressive 6-1 win against Qatar SC in the league opener. Rayyan have three points and are in second place in the standings – behind on goal difference with Duhail – after winning the first-round game 3-1 against Umm Salal. Duhail’s coach Christophe Galtier said the match against Rayyan carries a huge significance for their title ambitions.
“The match is big for our team. Although it is the second match in the league, it carries great importance. The games between our team and Rayyan are always full of excitement and challenge. Rayyan had a good performance last season and as we seek to achieve a distinguished season, it is necessary for us to show a strong performance in these matches,” the Frenchman said.
“Al Rayyan maintained the team structure from last season, as there are not many changes in its formation, especially in the attacking line, which was very effective. The only change was in the coach who knows the league well. For our part, we focused during the preparatory period on improving our attack significantly, and we worked on avoiding the mistakes that occurred previously, such as losing the ball unjustifiably, which could pose a danger to us,” Galtier added. Rayyan’s new coach Poya Asbaghi, who has replaced replacing Leonardo Jardim, felt the match will be a closely-fought one. “A big match between two strong teams. Duhail had made many changes from last season. They have a stronger team this season and I expect them to be different and fight for titles, especially since they will not play in the AFC Champions League this year, unlike teams such as Al Rayyan, Al Gharafa and Al Sadd who will play in the AFC Champions League Elite, so they will play to win, but we have the motivation to achieve victory,” the Swede said. “We will give everything we have to the match in order to achieve victory. We need to avoid mistakes against Duhail and exploit their mistakes. Our goal is always first place and we are not looking for second or third place, so the ambition this season is to compete for championships. We will work to develop the team’s performance,” Asbaghi added.
In another match on Friday, Umm Salal face Al Shamal at the Al Janoub Stadium. Shamal will be looking for second successive win after their shock win over holders Al Sadd last week. Umm Salal, on the other hand, will work to compensate for their 1-3 loss in the first round against Al Rayyan.
Shamal’s Portuguese coach Nuno Almeida is eager to maintain his successful streak, relying on key players such as prolific Algerian striker Baghdad Bounedjah, who netted both their goals against Al Sadd, along with Matias Nani, Younes Belhanda, Jeison Murillo and Omid Ebrahimi.
Umm Salal are seeking to make a turnaround and their mission will not be easy, but coach Patrice Carteron will try to adjust his plan in order to win and return to winning ways and avoid a second loss, especially since he has a group of players capable of correcting the team’s situation, including Kenji Gorre, Victor Lekhal, Antonio Mansi, Oussama Tannane, Marouane Louadni, Naim Laidouni and Edidiong Essien.
