DOHA: Qatar SC will be under pressure to deliver against Doha giants Al Sadd today when the two teams clash in round two of the Qatar Stars League (QSL).
The two teams clash at Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium after contrasting results in the first week of QSL.
Former champions Al Sadd rallied for a 2-1 win over Al Arabi in what was the first match of the new season last Saturday.
On the contrary, Qatar SC went down to Al Rayyan on September 16 after Rodrigo Tabata and Nilmar produced two sublime goals.
With Lekhwiya pair Kone and Razzaq in their ranks, coach Sebastiao Lazaroni will be hoping to pick up their first points today.
Lazaroni said: “This will be a great derby between two great sides. We have sorted out our weaknesses and the main issue is not to commit the mistakes of last week. We allowed Al Rayyan to dominate us in the last match. We allowed them to exploit our weaknesses. We don’t want the same thing to happen.”
He added: “We shouldn’t have lost last week because we are good side. We did not get the desire result (last week). Now we are ready to pick up three points. We are ready for a tough match. Al Sadd are a great side and with professional zeal in their attitude. They have players like Raul and Mamdouh Niang.”
Al Sadd, coached by Hussein Amute, will be worried over the fitness of Abdullah Koni who had to walk off the pitch last Saturday against Al Arabi after an ankle injury.
However, with experience Real Madrid start Raul and young striker Khalfan Ibrahim playing well, Al Sadd will be confident of winning the away game. Al Sadd coach Amute said: “Like I had said earlier, the start of the league is a difficult period for every club. We managed to get three points last week against Al Arabi. However, our match against Qatar SC will be tougher. I saw that Al Rayyan and Qatar Sports Club played a tough match last week.”
He added: “But I know that Al Sadd players have the determination. We are effective in our attacks and we make less mistakes. Abdullah Koni needs treatment on his injury and may not play. I believe it will be a great game because both sides are very focused at the start of the new season. We are motivated to keep the good work going.”
The match starts at 6:00pm.
Also today, former champions Al Gharafa will be under pressure to deliver when they travel to Al Khor Stadium to play Al Kharaitiyat. Coached by Paulo Silas, Al Gharafa were stunned 2-1 by Al Wakra last Sunday in what was the two team’s first matches in this year’s Qatar Stars League (QSL).
Winners of the Emir Cup last May, Al Gharafa will hope striker Afonso Alves fires for his new employers.
Afonso, formerly of Al Rayyan, signed a one-year deal with Al Gharafa just two weeks ago.
Silas said: “It will be a tough match against Al Kharaitiyat (today). This team has good elements and plays with a lot of unity and understanding. We have corrected mistakes that we made in our last match. We’ve had some injury concerns but I am sure we will improve as we go along. We know that we must win games to get our confidence going.”
He added: “We are an ambitious club. We want to win the QSL title. That’s out first goal. We have good playmakers and midfielders so we have prepared well (for the new season). We are also good in attack. We have a good side which plays good in the air also. Once we gain in confidence, then we will move forward very quickly. We have learnt our lessons (from last week’s loss against Al Wakra) and hopefully we won’t commit the same mistakes”.
Al Gharafa’s opponents today Al Kharaitiyat - coached by Bernard Simondi - went down to Al Khor 1-0 last Saturday. Simondi will be hoping for their first points at the same venue where they lost to Al Khor.
In the second match of the day, Al Arabi will host Al Khor today. Both matches kick-off at 8:00pm.
The Peninsula
