El Jaish will welcome Al Gharafa to their home ground, the Abdulla bin Khalifa stadium this Saturday March 14^th. The fixture sees the Soldiers (3^rd) take on a resurgent Al Gharafa who has moved up to 5^th after round 22 of Qatar Stars League.

Back in late October when these two sides last met it was Gharafa who came out on top with an important 2-1 win. Moayad Hassan Fodhayli was the hero of the night for the Cheetahs as his late winner (95’) gave his side a major confidence boost and a vital 3 points.

After round 21 Al Gharafa moved up to 5^th by beating Shahania 3-2 whilst Jaish continue to underperform, according to their own high standards, the could only muster a goalless draw with Al Khor.

Jaish have won, lost and drawn their last three games whilst Gharafa have won their last 3, the Cheetahs seem to be coming into a spell of form as the last 5 fixtures appear on the horizon. This is probably largely to do with Gharafa’s two new signings, Costa Rican Christian Bolaños and Romanian striker Claudiu Keserü who has hit the ground running since joining the Qatar Stars League. 

Jaish on the other hand seem to be suffering from a case of imbalance in the team, they certainly have the quality but as of yet Sabri Lamouchi can’t seem to get the formation right. The Soldiers have uncharacteristically only scored 39 goals this season and it seems this has been their main problem as they vie for a top 3 finish.

With Jaish having more to lose from this game, the pressure is certainly on the home side, Gharafa have momentum and motivation on their side as they look to leapfrog Jaish into 4^th spot and thereby qualifying for the end of season showpiece event, the Qatar Cup in April.

Revenge will certainly be on the minds of El Jaish’s players as the late winner back in October was hard to swallow. 

The result could go either way but perhaps more likely is another draw as Jaish tries to find their form and Gharafa look to win away from home.