Jonathan, Younis join Rayyan ranks

Argentinian striker Jonathan Menendez, who joined Al Rayyan for one season, hit the straps immediately as he joined The Lions’ preparations for their upcoming QNB Stars League Week 2 match against Umm Salal. The game will start at the Al Sadd Stadium at 5:30pm tomorrow. Jonathan, who came to Al Rayyan from Argentina’s Club Atletico Independiente, trained along with his new teammates on Tuesday. He is replacement for Moroccan midfielder Mohsine Moutaouli, who moved to Al Ahli. Al Rayyan, who beat Al Ahli 2-0 in the first round, started their preparations for Umm Salal game on Tuesday under the watchful eyes of Argentinian coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena. The training session also saw goalkeeper Fahd Younis go through his paces after recovering from an injury.Al Sadd, Al Arabi gear up for Qatar Derby QNB Stars League leaders Al Sadd are gearing up for their much-awaited Week 2 home encounter with Al Arabi, dubbed Qatar Derby, on Sunday. After their 6-0 win over Al Kharaitiyat last Sunday, Al Sadd resumed their preparations for the Al Arabi match on Tuesday.The coaching staff under Portuguese Jesualdo Ferreira gave enough recovery time to those who started against Al Kharaitiyat, while other players went through their paces at the training session. Al Sadd are above holders Al Duhail on goal difference in the QNB Stars League standings.Having started their 2018-campaign on a winning note, Al Arabi are leaving no stone unturned as they prepared for the big clash. Arabi had defeated Al Khor in Week 1 of the QNB Stars League, with Colombian striker Franco Arizala scoring the all-important goal. The win has boosted the confidence of Luka Bonacic’s team that stands sixth in the standings. And they are keen on maintaining the momentum as the players underwent training sessions in the morning and evening yesterday.Coach Gourcuff plots Gharafa’s revivalAl Gharafa’s French coach Christian Gourcuff is preparing his players for the QNB Stars League Week 2 fixture against Al Sailiya, to be played at the Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday. Al Gharafa badly want to compensate for their 1-3 loss to Qatar SC, while Al Sailiya are on a high after securing a last-gasp win over Umm Salal. Gourcuff and his assistants are trying hard to correct the mistakes they made against Qatar SC. The Cheetahs are seeking to build on their creditable fourth-place finish in last season’s QNB Stars League that earned them a berth in the Qatar Cup.