Al Duhail will meet Al Gharafa in a strong Week 8 contest of the 2024-2025 season Ooredoo Stars League at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium of Al Duhail club on Sunday, October 27, 2024. The kick-off is at 7.30pm.

The match is seen as one of the strongest match-ups of the week and is expected to produce fierce competition, given the teams’ battle for the lead and desire to compete for the league title.

Al Duhail are currently at the top of rankings with 18 points – from six wins and one loss. In their previous round, The Red Knights returned to winning ways overcoming Al Ahli by a solitary goal scored by Kenyan star Michael Olunga after the side had suffered their only loss of the league so far against Al Shahania by a 1-2 margin.

Al Gharafa are fourth in the standings with 11 points from three wins, two draws and as many losses, and are looking forward to continue their winning run after beating Umm Salal 3-1 in the seventh round.

Despite the team’s preoccupation with the Asian competition, where they met Al Wasl of the UAE in the third round of AFC Champions League Elite, which The Cheetahs lost 1-2, their Portuguese coach Pedro Martins sees the two tournaments as separate battles and works hard to prepare the team in the best way to compete on both fronts, locally and at the Asian level.

Al Gharafa are counting on the good technical and physical condition of their foreign professional stars, especially Algerian Yacine Brahimi, who regained his brilliance after recovering from injury, as well as Spaniard Joselu, Romanian Florinel Coman and midfielder Ferjani Sassi.

Meanwhile, French coach of Al Duhail Christophe Galtier is banking mainly on his stars Almoez Ali, Edmilson Junior and Olunga to score against Al Gharafa and their goalkeeper Khalifa Abubacar.

The match would see intense battle between the sides and a win will be crucial for both Al Duhail and Al Gharafa to keep up their flight in the rankings.