Al Rayyan coach Nicholas Cordova (left) and Al Duhail coach Hernan Crespo speak to reporters ahead of their QNB Stars League match. The game will kick off at 9:45pm tonight.
Despite slipping to second in the QNB Stars League (QSL) standings, Al Duhail have a simple equation to solve – win all their remaining four matches and lift the Falcon Shield after a gap of two seasons.
The Red Knights fell to Al Gharafa in their previous clash handing top spot to Al Arabi, who moved to 43 points, taking a one point lead at the top after thrilling 4-3 win over Al Ahli last week. The Dream Team has three matches to play.
Al Duhail can regain the top spot by securing three points against Al Rayyan in tonight’s postponed Week 15 fixture at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium. The game was pushed due to teams’ participation in Round of 16 of 2022 AFC Champions League.
The Red Knights, under coach Hernan Crespo, have been outstanding this season already clinching the Ooredoo Cup and Qatar Cup crowns but they faltered in their last two matches. Prior to defeat against Al Gharafa, they were knocked out of the prestigious Amir Cup by Al Sailiya in the quarter-final.
Crespo is hoping his team would bounce back in the remaining matches to complete a treble this season.
“The league is still in our hands although the team is not going through good moments, especially after losing in the last match against Al Gharafa,” the Argentine told reporters yesterday.
“This defeat will not be an obstacle for us and the situation will be different in our match against Al Rayyan,” he added.
Al Rayyan, under coach Nicholas Cordova, have failed to lived up to their fans’ expectations this season languishing in ninth place in the standings with 17 points. But Crespo hailed the Lions as “great team” ahead of the crucial tie.
“We faced them a lot this season in the league, Ooredoo Cup and AFC Champions League, and we know each other well,” he said before hoping that absence of some key players will not affect his team’s progress.
“Absences have been necessary since the start of the season and the team has the best players who will make every effort to regain the league title,” said Crespo.
With Edmilson recovering from a surgery, Sultan Al Breik and Abdulrahman Mohammed, who had injury, will miss the match along with Nam Tae-hee, the coach said.
Al Rayyan, meanwhile, are returning to action following a 2-2 draw against bottom side Al Sailiya with Cordova hoping for a good show from his side to stay clear of the relegation zone.
“In the last matches, the performance was good and we scored goals, but the problem is to continue at the same pace, and this is due to the joining of new players who did not compete for two months with the team. And they could not fit in the required way, in addition to the many breaks this season. If the team continues for a year like this, the results will be better,” said Cordova.
“The Al Duhail vs Al Rayyan matches have a special character between the two teams, regardless of their results,” he added.
