Al Duhail face Al Sadd in a marquee Week 21 fixture of the 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League at the Al Duhail Stadium on Thursday, May 4. The kick-off is at 21:00.

A battle between title contenders and the defending champions, the match could well be the title decider for the league championship and therefore would be like a final especially for Al Duhail.

Al Duhail are leading the standings with 48 points, while reigning champions Al Sadd are on 41 points. Al Arabi with 43 points are the other team chasing The Red Knights, but will also need to score heavily apart from winning their remaining two games if they are to put up a challenge.

Al Duhail and Al Arabi have both won the league championship seven times each, whereas Al Sadd have been the most successful having lifted the coveted shield on 16 occasions.

Al Duhail will aim to seal the title in the penultimate round itself, while Al Sadd would go for the valuable three points to clinch the second spot in the rankings.

Contests between Al Duhail and Al Sadd always have their own importance for fans as they are among the most prominent Qatari football teams over the past seasons and as such the contest will be highly exciting.

The first meeting between the two sides in the league ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw.

Players of both teams – both local and professionals - are in good form and both sides possess strong attack, midfield and defence to challenge the rivals.

Al Duhail are coming from a hard-earned win in their last league game against Umm Salal which they won 2-1, while Al Sadd scored a 2-0 win over Al Rayyan in the return leg of Qatar Clasico.

Al Duhail, who had been aiming for a sweep of titles, have won the Ooredoo Cup and Qatar Cup, but lost in the quarterfinal of Amir Cup against Al Sailiya while Al Sadd have made it to the final beating Umm Salal in the quarterfinal and Al Shahaniya in the semifinal.

The Red Knights have a number of distinguished players and are led by the top-scorer in the competition - Michael Olunga, who has so far scored 17 goals and along with captain Almoez Ali and Ferjani Sassi forms a lethal striking force.

On the other hand, Al Sadd’s Spanish coach Juan Manuel Lillo ‘Juanma’ will be relying on their forward Baghdad Bounedjah besides mercurial striker Akram Afif, Santi Cazrola, and Ayoub El Kaabi among others.