Al Duhail players during a training session ahead of Al Wakrah match.
Doha, Qatar: Al Duhail hit the training pitch soon after a 3-1 defeat to arch-rivals in their crucial Expo Stars League (ESL) clash last week, aiming to bounce back in their title defence.
After a winless run in three games which include a defeat to Umm Salal and a draw against Qatar SC, the Red Knights are in need of points as they look to return to the top four again.
Al Duhail are currently in fifth place in the standings with 17 points, trailing fourth-placed Al Rayyan by two points.
They will host Al Wakrah at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium today – their second postponed game after the Al Sadd tie.
Al Duhail assistant coach Thierry Claude said the players affected by defeat against the Wolves are determined to make a strong comeback in the league.
“We started preparations without a break for our next match against Al Wakrah which is very important for us,” Claude told a pre-match press conference.
“We have the determination to improve the results and we want the next match to be our real start,” he added.
Al Wakrah – led by Marquez Lopez also the coach of Qatar national team – have shown a good form and are placed third with 21 points behind Al Gharafa (24 points) and leaders Al Sadd (28 points).
For coach Lopez, the game is an opportunity for his team to climb to second spot with a better goal difference over Al Gharafa.
“This is very clear. If we win the match, we will rise to second place and this is excellent motivation for players to win,” he said while expecting a tough challenge from Al Duhail in the match.
“Al Duhail are a big club, although they have problems with absences and injuries they still have very strong players,” said Lopez.
The match will kick off at 5:30pm before Al Sadd will host Al Arabi at 7:30pm in their postponed match at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
Last season runners-up Al Arabi are seventh in the standings with 13 points.
