Qatar SC and Al Shamal will meet in the opening match of Week 9 of the 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League at the Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium of Qatar Sports Club on Friday, November 24, 2023. The kick-off is at 5.30pm.

The match is expected to be strong and full of excitement.

The league is resuming after a break, during which the joint Asian qualifiers for 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup were held.

Qatar SC currently occupy seventh place in the league standings with eight points garnered from two wins, as many draws and four defeats, just two points ahead of Al Shamal, who are in ninth place with six points collected from one win, three draws and four defeats.

The match is of great importance for both teams. Qatar SC were defeated in their last match in the eighth round by Al Wakrah after two successive victories over Al Ahli and Al Markhiya, and they would be looking forward to returning to winning ways again.

Meanwhile, Al Shamal, who succeeded during the eighth week in achieving their first victory this season by defeating Al Ahli 2-1, are looking forward to achieving their second victory in a row and moving away from the relegation zone.

Qatar SC regained some of their strength again, with Portuguese coach Helio Sousa now in charge after a series of negative results, which caused the departure of Moroccan coach Yousef Safri.

In the last match in the Ooredoo Cup, the team were able to defeat Muaither 1-0 in the fifth round, where Sousa relied on a number of main players, most notably Raoul Sanda and Javier Martinez, to ensure the readiness of the team while resting some of the other players ahead of the important match against Al Shamal in the league.

The same applies to Al Shamal, who, if they win Friday’s match, will be able to surpass Qatar SC in the standings and confirm their current impressive form and strong performances, the most recent of which is their 2-1 victory over Al Gharafa in the Ooredoo Cup, which led to their qualification for the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Coach Poya Asbaghi is counting on the Qatar SC match and hopes that his team will achieve a good victory. He would be relying on their most prominent foreign professional stars, including Matias Nani, Younes El Hannach, Ali Olwan and Ricardo Gomes, as the most important trump cards.