Doha: Al Rayyan will be looking to recapture honours with a comeback win following their Qatar Clasico loss to Al Sadd last week when they take on Al Sailiya as QNB Stars League action continues today.
At Al Sadd Stadium, coach Michael Laudrup’s men will eye full points against the fourth placed team in the league standings, to keep up with the pace of high-flying Al Duhail and Al Sadd.
On the other hand, Al Sailiya will be keen to keep their top-four position intact to stay ahead of Umm Salal who are threatening them from behind.
Al Rayyan had won 1-0 in the first phase. On Monday, they locked horns with Iran’s Esteghlal in their AFC Champions League Group D opener at the Al Sadd Stadium where the two teams sheared the honours with in a two-all draw.
Ahead of today’s tie, coach Laudrup spoke about having to play too many matches within a short period of time.
“We just played our first match in the AFC Champions League and now it is back to QNB Stars League action. Too many games in short time and we will make some changes. I cannot say how many. I will have to take a call on it later,” Laudrup said.
“After this match, we will be playing in the AFC Champions League in Abu Dhabi next Tuesday. It is good that we have players to come off the bench and do well on the field. When you have good players, you have to use them. We have more options now with the new additions,” said Laudrup.
Al Sailiya coach Sami Trabelsi admitted that this is a crucial yet difficult time for his team.
“We are passing through a difficult phase and we know it will be tough against a side such as Al Rayyan. They are a strong side, one of the best in the QNB Stars League. There is no doubt about it. Their results do not fully match their performance and reputation. They deserved a better position in the standings.
“For us, this game is very important. We have put ourselves in a tricky situation and we have to wriggle out of it. We are fighting with our back against the wall at the moment.
“My players are confident that we can make a strong comeback. We are making some corrections in terms of technical aspects. I cannot reveal them. But our main problem is psychological. Then, our finishing has to be better. We have lost many matches despite controlling them. We cannot lose more games like this.
“I don’t think our professional players are not doing a good job. We have a good group of players with fighting spirit,” said Trabelsi.
Elsewhere today, Dutch star Wesley Sneijder-led Al Gharafa will be no easy kill for relegation-threatened Al Kharaitiyat in their own backyard. Al Gharafa eying a top-four finish in the League this season and will try to compensate for their 1-5 defeat at the hands of Al Duhail.
Al Gharafa are sixth with 20 points and Al Kharaitiyat 10th with 13 points.
In the third and final match of the day, Al Ahli will take on Qatar SC.
