Al Rayyan face Al Duhail in their postponed match from Week 15 of the 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League at the Al Duhail Stadium on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. The kick-off is at 21:45.

The match was postponed due to the teams’ participation in Round of 16 of 2022 AFC Champions League.

The meeting comes at an important stage of the league championship, especially for title contenders Al Duhail, who are looking to bounce back from their recent loss to Al Gharafa, which helped Al Arabi move up as leaders with a one-point lead.

Al Duhail’s Argentinian coach Hernan Crespo realizes that adverse results in his team’s remaining four matches in the competition, starting with the Al Rayyan fixture, could jeopardize their chances.

The Red Knights would therefore go into the match with all their strength and focus to notch a win, collect three points and move to the top again. They are currently second with 42 points, but have played one match less match than Al Arabi.

As for Al Rayyan, they are still in a difficult position in the table following their 2-2 draw with Al Sailiya in Week 19. Al Rayyan are in ninth place with 17 points collected from four victories, five draws and eight defeats. They are on par with Al Shamal in the number of points, but superior by goal difference.

Al Rayyan would therefore want to achieve a positive result to be well clear of the relegation zone.

Al Duhail are counting on their strong attack, represented by Michael Olunga (the second best scorer in the league after Al Wakrah’s Jacinto Dala) and Almoez Ali. They failed to score in their last game against Al Gharafa, suffering a second successive loss after they went down to Al Sailiya in the Amir Cup quarterfinal.

Al Rayyan have the services of their Ivory Coast star Yohan Boli, Chilean Jeisson Vargas, and Moroccan Sofiane Boufal who would look to break Al Duhail’s defences and score against their goalkeeper Salah Zakaria.

The Al Duhail vs Al Rayyan battle is expected to be exciting and will be eagerly watched by fans of both clubs.