Al Khor have been through ups and downs in this season’s QNB Stars League. They were in the relegation zone, then pulled themselves off it and are currently 10th with 21 points ahead of their Week 22 match against Al Arabi.

Al Khor even punched way above their weight to defeat formidable Al Sadd by a solitary goal in Week 21.

The Knights started off the season under French coach Laurent Banide. Following a series of negative results, the club management saw no other alternative but to make changes at the technical staff level.

Banide was replaced by Tunisian Nassif Al Bayawi, who is no stranger to Qatar football having worked as Bernard Simondi’s assistant at Al Kharaityiat.

Al Bayawi started making his mark right from his first game in charge and the results improved. Suddenly, the team recorded two consecutive wins and six points!

However, Al Khor suffered a slump and started dropping points again. The team management interfered for a second time and made changes on the players’ front.

At the beginning of the season, Al Khor had recruited some quality players such as Helal Mohammed, Iranian Soroush Hossein and Brazilian Castan Silva, while retaining the services of Madson, one of the best professionals in the QNB Stars League for some time now.

The winter transfer window witnessed some new faces joining the side. Cameroonian striker Ariel Thierry and Qatari players Youssef Ahmed, Abdulla Al Battat, Ali Al Mohannadi, Ahmed Al Nahawi and goalkeeper Khalifa Abubakr (on loan from Al Duhail until the end of the season) all strengthened the squad.

Amine Lecomte, on loan from Al Duhail, had kept the Al Khor goal in the first phase till it was Khalifa’s turn to do so in the second.

Al Khor have so far registered six victories, three draws and 12 defeats. They have 22 goals for and 38 against.