The QNB Stars League match between high-flying Al Rayyan and a motivated Umm Salal tomorrow is expected to be fought fiercely.
Al Rayyan have momentum on their side going into the match, which will kick off at 5:30pm at Al Sadd Stadium, having won the season-opening Sheikh Jassim Cup, defeating Al Duhail on penalties, and also their Week 1 game against Al Ahli with a 2-0 margin.
On the other hand, Umm Salal suffered the heartbreak of conceding a goal right at the death and losing their league opener to Al Sailiya 1-2.
Al Rayyan started their preparations for the game on Tuesday under their new Argentinian coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena.
They have been without the services of Moroccan striker Abderrazaq Hamdallah since the end of last season. However, Argentinian striker Jonathan Menendez joined The Lions for one season from Club Atletico Independiente and trained along with his new teammates on Tuesday. He replaced Moroccan midfielder Mohsine Moutaouli, who switched to Al Ahli.
Al Rayyan also have Rodrigo Tabata, Sebastian Soria, Koh Myong-Jin, Abdulrahman al-Harazi, Daniel Goumou, Khalfan Ibrahim and Gonzalo Vieira in their ranks.
Similarly, Umm Salal will miss Nigerian striker Christian Osaguona as he is nursing a ligament injury he sustained during the Al Sailiya match.
But they may get the services of three of their players — Bilal Mohamed, Mohamed al-Sayed and Adel Alawi — who missed their opener due to injuries, but were back in training.
Laurent Banide’s side also includes Yannick Sagbo, Ismail Mahmoud, Mahmoud Mawas and Adel Rhaili.
In the other match tomorrow, Qatar SC, under Abdulla Mubarak, will be highly motivated as they brace for Al Ahli.
Qatar SC had scored an upset 3-1 victory over Al Gharafa.
Qatar SC put up an outstanding performance and the players who shone the most were Osama Omari, Hussein Ali and Ali Awad.
Al Rayyan players celebrate a goal during their 2-0 win against Al Ahli on Sunday. PICTURE: Ram Chand
