Al Sadd will host Al Markhiya in Week 8 of the 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium of Al Sadd Club on Thursday, November 2, 2023. The kick-off is at 5.30pm.

The confrontation is expected to be strong and competitive as Al Sadd seek to continue their winning run and to stay in the hunt for the championship title, while Al Markhiya will be looking to improve their position in the table.

Al Sadd are on top of the standings and, along with Al Gharafa, have 16 points. Al Sadd have notched up five wins and a draw with also a postponed match remaining against Al Arabi from Week 6.

In contrast, Al Markhiya are 12th and in the last place of the standings with three points to their credit as the team suffered six defeats and achieved one victory over Al Shamal in the sixth week.

Off the pitch, the confrontation will be of specific importance to the coaches of both teams. Portuguese Bruno Miguel, who has proved his efficiency with Al Sadd in recent matches with AFC Champions League and domestic wins, and Algerian Madjid Bougherra, coach of Al Markhiya, in his third match with the team where he achieved a win in his first match against Al Shamal before losing to Qatar SC last week.

Both teams have many strong attacks with players capable of presenting a great and enjoyable match for the fans. For Al Sadd there are many stars, led by Akram Afif, Baghdad Bounedjah, Guillerme Torres, Boualem Khoukhi and other players returning from injury.

Al Markhiya are counting on their Moroccan star Driss Fettouhi and top scorer Yusupha Njie, who has scored three goals for the side so far, to help them achieve a positive result against the formidable Al Sadd and return to strong performances.

Al Sadd achieved a 2-0 win over Muaither in the previous week, while Al Markhiya lost to Qatar SC 4-0.