One of the fiercest QSL Round 14 clashes will be between Al Gharafa and Al Ahli which is scheduled to kick off on Wednesday 04 Jan 2017 at the Thani bin Jassim Stadium at 18:25. It’s a vengeance match for Al Gharafa to compensate for their loss earlier in this season when they lost to Al Ahli 4-2.
Al Gharafa come into the fixture after suffering a shock loss to Al Kharaitiyat by two goals. Al Ahli on the other hand defeated Muaither with the same score so will be coming into the tie looking to continue their winning ways.
Al Gharafa currently have 23 points and will be looking to cement their positon in the league where they currently sit in 4th place ahead of Al Rayyan and Umm Salal. Al Ahli currently have 14 points and will be playing to try and claim a vital three points and avoid a relegation battle.
Al Gharafa players head into the tie under pressure following their defeat to Al Kharaitiyat, while Al Ahli will be boosted by their victory over Muaither in the previous round. Al Gharafa was one of the teams who many suggested had a good chance for the 2016/17 QSL title, however the team’s performance and results have be inconsistent from one match to another and they’ve lost some points along the way.
Al Gharafa have won seven matches, tied in two and lost four following the opening 13 rounds of this year’s season. The team scored total of 28 goals and conceded 24. Al Ahli have registered just three wins in the same opening 13 rounds, tied in five and lost five. The team scored 19 goals and conceded 20 goals.
Both sides will be missing several of their key players for various reasons. Al Gharafa will miss their Hungarian striker, Kriztian Nemeth, while Al Gharafa will be without the Slovakian Vladimir Weiss due to automatic suspension. Al Ahli will also miss their crucial striker, the Congolese Mubele, who joined his national team in preparation to participate in the AFCON 2017.
Despite all the above missing players, both teams have the quality and depth within their squads to ensure they both field strong teams for this much anticipated game.
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