Al Duhail to take on in-form Al Markhiya

Former champions Al Duhail will take on in-form Al Markhiya in the fourth round match of the QNB Stars League at the Khalifa International Stadium today.Al Duhail are seeking their second successive victory after having achieved the first last week defeating Al Rayyan 2-1 after their substitute Khaled Mohamed Saleh scored the winner to snatch victory in the final minutes. Al Duhail’s assistant coach Sebastian Domingo termed the task as tough as they will be playing without injured Brazilian star Edmilson Junio. “It is difficult to find a suitable replacement for Edmilson. He is a good dribbler and gives many options in attack, an important player for the league not only for Al Duhail but we will compensate for his absence. We will need to work on the field collectively, which is what Al Duhail Club is known for,” Domingo said.“Our victory over Al Rayyan in the previous round was very important because it helped instil confidence in the players and gave them the belief to continue their strong performance,” he said. Tunisian midfielder Ferjani Sassi has also been left out after he also suffered a severe injury, forcing Al Duhail to replace him with Algerian Adlene Guedioura in the squad.The newly-promoted Al Markhiya in contrast have made a great start to their new season by defeating Al Sadd in the opening round, then scoring a draw against Qatar SC before losing in the previous round to Al Arabi. Al Markhiya also have 4 points to their credit and aim to continue their good run against Al Duhail.Abdullah Mubarak, the team’s coach, is counting on the good form of Jugurtha Hamroun and Ayman Hussein for the team to trouble Al Duhail’s goalkeeper Shehab Ellethy.The team, however, will miss the services of their Algerian professional Ayoub Azzi for a second match in a row after he was expelled in the second round match against Qatar SC and the Disciplinary Committee suspended him for two matches.In the other match of the day, Qatar SC will meet Al Wakrah at the Al Janoub Stadium.While Qatar SC have four points so far in the league after the first three weeks, Al Wakrah are second on the table with seven points and will aim to continue and progress towards the top of the standings.Both teams are expected to play their best possible eleven and while Al Wakrah are in a better position, their task in the match will not be easy, especially since Qatar SC displayed fighting qualities in their last win against Al Sailiya. Moroccan Youssef Sefri, coach of Qatar SC, however, is wary of Al Wakrah. “Al Wakrah are one of the best clubs in the QNB Stars League and excel with outstanding collective performance. We will also play at the Al Janoub Stadium, which increases the importance of the meeting,” he said.“It is very important to follow the quality of performance and results, and I have great confidence in the Qatar SC players to achieve a positive result that satisfies the club’s management and our loyal fans.“Unfortunately, we lost in the first match (vs Al Arabi), then we suffered a 1-1 draw (vs Al Markhiya) which was like a defeat before our efforts helped us achieve a win in the third match (vs Al Sailiya). “I have also seen that our opponents are exploiting weaknesses towards the end which we were keen to iron out. “Although, I am very satisfied with the team’s performance, especially the chances we created and I value the efforts of all the players because they have the will and determination to win and the ability to achieve more,” he added.Safri is likely to depend on the same lineup as against Al Sailiya, most notably: Sebastian Soria, Bashar Resan, Anthony Okpotu, Matheus Jussa, and Mohamed Al Rabiei among others.As for Al Wakrah coach Marques Lopez, he will rely on the fit condition of his players in order to win and push towards Al Arabi’s competition for the top spot. He will spare no efforts in choosing his best players for this clash.“I saw Qatar SC in three matches and I think the team is more physically fit and well organized, and the most important thing on the field is that they play well, so I think the match will be difficult for us. Our strong start in the league is due to the players playing well. We can win or lose or draw, but the mentality and performance of the players are very good,” said Marquez.