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656759
Sat, 04/01/2023 - 00:42
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QNB Stars League Week 18 Kicks Off Saturday as Al Duhail Aim to Maintain Lead

Doha, March 31 (QNA) - The Week 18 of QNB Stars League starts Saturday where Al Duhail seek to enhance their lead ahead of Al Arabi.
Al Sailiya face Al Duhail in Week 18 of the 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League at Al Ahli Stadium on Saturday.
While the two teams are in contrasting situations, Al Duhail right at the top and Al Sailiya at the far end in the table, both will still be in need of a win to strengthen their position in the standings.
Al Sailiya desire to achieve victory to shore up and move away from the relegation zone.
As for Al Duhail, they are looking to stay at the top and retain their championship lead, aiming for the title especially after their recent Ooredoo Cup triumph – their first title of the season – having beaten Umm Salal in the final 1-0 on Tuesday.
The task for Al Sailiya therefore becomes all the more difficult and they enter the clash with nine points, while Al Duhail have 39 points and want to reach 42 in order to ensure their place at the summit.
The match as a whole will be difficult for both sides, especially Al Sailiya who have made an adjustment to their coaching staff with young coach Mirghani Al Zain assuming the technical task instead of veteran Tunisian Sami Trabelsi.
Al Sailiya have been able to win only two matches in the league so far and as such the new coach will have a challenging role with the side taking on Al Duhail.
The Red Knights, however, will not be taking the opposition lightly knowing well that Al Sailiya would produce their best seeking to wriggle out of the danger zone.
Al Sailiya face Al Duhail had played out a 1-1 draw in their first-leg meeting in Week 7.
Meanwhile, Al Arabi face Umm Salal in Week 18 of the 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League at the Al Arabi Stadium on Monday.
Both teams seek the three valuable points given their respective positions.
Al Arabi are second in the points table with 37 points and aim to continue their progress and chase leaders Al Duhail. In contrast, Umm Salal are 11th with 13 points and want to win the three points in order to move away from the danger zone.
Both teams possess winning abilities and have players of a high calibre in all positions and their coaches know the capabilities of the rivals also well.
The two teams had met recently in the semifinal of Ooredoo Cup and Umm Salal rallied to bounce back from being a goal down to win 2-1.
Al Arabi, however, would be looking forward to continuing their winning run in the league and pursue Al Duhail, which are two points ahead and at the top. The team will look to beat Umm Salal this time round and avenge their Ooredoo Cup exit.
As for Umm Salal, who were edged 1-0 by Al Duhail in the final of Ooredoo Cup, the match would be an opportunity to move ahead in the rankings and also to showcase their good form.
Umm Salal coach Talal El Karkouri hopes to motivate his players, work on the psychological side, and inspire their enthusiasm.
For sure, the match will not be easy for either of the teams due to the motives with which they enter the confrontation and the desire to fetch the valuable points.
The first-leg clash between Al Arabi and Umm Salal had ended in a 1-1 draw in Week 7. 

Al Sadd face Al Wakrah in Week 18 of the 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League at the Al Wakrah Stadium on Saturday.
Both teams are seeking to win and collect the three points from the confrontation which is expected to witness great excitement.
Al Wakrah are fourth in the table with 27 points from seven wins, six draws and four defeats. So far, they have scored 33 goals and conceded 18 goals.
Defending champions Al Sadd are placed third with 32 points from 10 victories, five defeats and two draws, having conceded 21 goals and scored 34 goals.
In their first-leg match, Al Wakrah had emerged as 2-1 winners against Al Sadd in Week 7 and The Blue Wave would be hoping for another win against the formidable rivals.
The match represents an opportunity for both teams as Al Wakrah seek to win to stay in the top four, while Al Sadd will be motivated to gain the valuable points to advance in the standings to maintain their hopes of competing for the championship title.
The matches between these two teams have always witnessed excitement and once again the clash is expected to produce a strong contest with each side looking to outweigh the other.
Al Wakrah rely on a number of distinguished players, such as Mohamed Benyettou, Jacinto Dala, Lucas Mendes and Khaled Munir.
On the other hand Al Sadd will be served mainly by Akram Afif, Baghdad Bounedjah and Hassan Al Haydous. The Wolves may regain the services of Rodrigo Tabata, who has returned from injury which had kept him away for the last four weeks.
Moreover, Al Markhiya face Al Gharafa in Week 18 of the 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League at the Al Gharafa Stadium on Sunday.
Each team carries the desire to win and reaping the three points from the contest which is expected to be strong, given the abilities of both sides and their eagerness.
Al Markhiya enter the match being eighth in the standings with 18 points from five wins, eight defeats and three draws. They have scored 22 goals and conceded 27 so far.
On the other hand, Al Gharafa are fifth with 26 points, on goal difference from Qatar SC (sixth), with seven wins, five draws and as many defeats. They have scored 28 goals and conceded 30.
The first-leg match between these two teams had seen Al Gharafa emerge as 2-1 winners in Week 7.
The match will be open to all possibilities and each team will be striving to do their best to get the three valuable points.
Also, the confrontation between coaches Abdullah Mubarak of Al Markhiya and Pedro Martins of Al Gharafa will also see them push their players from the sidelines.
Al Gharafa will try to assert their superiority and achieve a second victory of the season over Al Markhiya in their aim to be back in the top four of the standings, while the latter would look to strengthen their own place with a win, thus adding a spark to the contest.
Furthermore, Al Ahli face Al Shamal in Week 18 of the 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League at the Ahli Stadium on Sunday.
Each team enters the match needing to gain the three important points, given the reversals they suffered in the last round. While Al Ahli lost to Al Wakrah 2-5, Al Shamal were beaten 3-1 by Al Sadd. Hence both Al Ahli and Al Shamal seek to compensate for their previous losses.
Al Ahli are currently seventh in the standings with 21 points and Al Shamal 10th with 14 points.
Al Ahli would also be fully aware of the slight difference in points between them and the closest teams in chase. The Brigadiers therefore would look to get the better of Al Shamal, especially since the team’s results in some of the recent matches have not been to the level of the aspirations of their technical staff and management.
The Al Shamal meeting therefore provides for a new opportunity for them to show their mettle.
In contrast, Al Shamal coach Wesam Rizik would seek to beat the rivals and move forward. He would be wary of an otherwise result with Umm Salal being in 11th place with 13 points and only a point separating his team from them and the relegation zone.
The first-leg clash between Al Ahli and Al Shamal had ended in an exciting 2-2 draw in Week 7. As such, an absorbing battle is once again on the cards. (QNA)


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