Kharaitiyat take on Arabi, looking to regain missing confidence
 
Al Kharaitiyat vs Al Arabi
Saturday- Al Khor Stadium 6pm KO
Form – Last Five matches
Kharaitiyat - LWDLL
Arabi - LLWWD
 
In the six matches that Al Kharaitiyat has played since the start of 2016, they have won just one match, had a draw and suffered four losses. These set of results have seen them drop to 12^th in the standings, just one point away from Qatar Sports Club in 13^th place. 

Relegation is suddenly a huge threat and Kharaitiyat Head Coach Amar Osim believes improving the confidence of the players is the key to getting back to winning ways. “We will try to improve our confidence which is the main thing we need in this moment and we are missing it. We have a week before our next game and we will work on this aspect during that,” said Osim during the pre-match press conference on Thursday.

Kharaitiyat have had a staggered performance this season and are not where they should be. But Osim believes that his team should accept the situation and work hard to get out of it. “We have many people in our club who think that we don’t belong where we are in the standings right now. But we are where we are. We have to act according to where we are and not like we belong somewhere else. We need to work hard and get out of this situation,” said the Bosnian. 

“In such situations the best thing is to act normal and if you are able to do so then that’s 80 per cent of the job done. That’s never easy because everybody changes and acts differently in pressure situations and as a coach you have to try to be as normal as before. And hope it will work,” added Osim.


 
Meanwhile Arabi are also under pressure, having suffered two consecutive losses. They lost again Al Rayyan and Al Sadd and Al Arabi Head Coach Gianfranco Zola is keen to use this game to get back to winning and move closer to their aim of achieving a top-4 finish.

 “This is an opportunity for us. As a game, it’s easier than the last two we have played. But I will treat it as a game like we are playing a team that’s a top of the league,” said Zola on Thursday.

The Italian added that his team will have to play with total focus if they were to emerge victorious. “We are coming from two losses. We lost the last one badly. I am sure that the players are aware of that. We will have to be focused if we want to win the game, because Kharaityat will also want to win. It’s an easy game on paper but we will have to treat it with respect.”