Khalfan Ibrahim (foreground) along with his team-mates during Al Arabi’s training session ahead of the QSL game against Al Gharafa.
Seasoned Khalfan Ibrahim will be back in action as struggling Al Arabi look to bounce back strongly when they will be hosted by Al Gharafa tomorrow in Round 10 fixture of the QNB Stars League.
Al Arabi, who have a strong fan base, are reeling on tenth position in the QSL standings as they have earned just six points so far. They are just ahead of promoted side Al Markhiya and Qatar SC.
However, Ammar Jemal-led side are aiming to reverse their fortunes in the coming rounds, eyeing a place among teams in the first half.
Al Arabi’s bid to regain winning form will be boosted with the return of playmaker Khalfan who missed the last couple of rounds after suffering an injury during training. In the absence of the wily midfielder, Al Arabi endured a 2-4 defeat to Al Rayyan before sharing points against Al Markhiya after a 1-1 draw.
It is expected to be a tough contest as ninth-placed Al Gharafa, who are also struggling this season so far, will be firing all cylinders to earn full points.
Al Arabi captain Jemal predicted a tough game, saying his team will go all out to win to find back the rhythm.
“We’re truly determined to achieve positive results in the remaining two first-phase games as we’re aware we can’t afford to miss more points,” said the captain while reposing his confidence on new coach Luka Bonacic.
“Luka is an experienced coach and he’s helping us improve our game. Hopefully, the results will follow.”
Jemal hoped his team will learn from past mistakes and will show improvement in tomorrow’s important clash against Al Gharafa.
“There is a lack of concentration and we have been repeating mistakes. We’re trying to rectify them under Bonacic,” he said.
Jemal who is playing his first season in the QSL rated the league as a ‘strong’ competition.
“The competition is strong. That demands more efforts and hard work from the teams,” he said before hoping to win at least one title for Al Arabi.
“I wish to win one title with Al Arabi and dedicate it to our fans. I am confident. With patience and dedication, we can achieve anything.”
The Al Arabi captain requested fans of the club to keep supporting their team.
“We look forward to seeing fans at the stadium to support and motivate us. I’ve heard a lot about the passion of Al Arabi fans from news feed and social media.”
