Al Wakrah face Al Duhail in Week 17 of the 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League at the Al Janoub Stadium on Sunday, March 10, 2024. The kick-off is at 8.30pm.

The match is expected to be intense and highly exciting, considering the positions of both teams in the standings and the events that have occurred in the recent rounds of competition.

Each team enters with the desire to correct their situation and regain victories, especially since both are looking to win and secure the maximum points from the match.

Al Wakrah are in fourth place with 28 points, while Al Duhail are in sixth place with 19 points, tied with Umm Salal (seventh) on better goal difference.

Al Wakrah have not achieved a victory in the last three rounds since the return from the break, drawing one match and losing two, with the latest loss being 0-3 to Al Rayyan in Week 16. Therefore, their coach Jose Murcia will try to correct their situation quickly to avoid falling out of the top positions after previously being in the second spot and even chasing the leaders. However, their losses in the last two rounds have pushed them back to fourth place.

Al Wakrah have the potential to regain their position, relying on players like Mohamed Benyettou, Jacinto Dala, Ayoub Assal, Lucas Mendes, Rabeh Boussafi, Almahdi Ali, Saoud Al Khater and others.

As for Al Duhail, they have not won since the eighth round, when they defeated Al Rayyan, and then they drew and lost in the following matches. They will strive hard to settle the score against Al Wakrah after losing many points in the recent rounds.

Coach Christophe Galtier will try to restore things and achieve a victory that will bring back the team’s strength in the hope of returning to the top four. Al Duhail, the title holders, have moved away from the top four after their losses in the previous rounds and therefore the coach seeks to correct the situation relying on his players, with the most prominent being Lucas Verissimo, Ismail Mohammed, Almoez Ali, Ibrahima Diallo, Kim Moon-Hwan and Michael Olunga.