Flames set to defend against second placed El Jaish

With just four points from their 20 QSL matches, Mesaimeer will be relegated to the Qatar Gas League at the end of the season if they don’t defeat El Jaish on Sunday evening. Mesaimeer Head Coach Rodion Gacanin said that his team would have to find the fighting spirit to play in the remaining six games this season, starting with their match against El Jaish.   

“We now know that mathematically we are in the second division. It is most important that we find the fighting spirit for the six matches that we have left,” said Gacanin during the pre-match press conference on Thursday.

With the attacking prowess that Jaish possesses, Mesaimeer are hoping to play defensively and eke out a draw. “We are playing against a team that has two wins in the Asian Champions League. We will go with a defensive approach. We will block their play in the middle of the pitch and look to get a draw out of this match,” said Gacanin.
 
Mesaimeer were promoted last season but were unable to retain their position in QSL. When asked what his advice would be to teams that are promoted next season, Gacanin said teams have to invest in players a lot. “You must invest in players. QSL is a very professional league. You have to buy good players. The solution is really simple,” he said.



 
Mesaimeer’s opponents, Jaish, are currently in second place and have a two-point gap to Lekhwiya in third. They would want to ensure that they finish this season in that position. “After our success in the Asian Champions League, we come back to the QSL. The best preparation is to think that this is a crucial game for us. We need to take these three points in order to keep our position in the standings and also confirm our good run,” said El Jaish Head Coach Sabri Lamouchi during the pre-match press conference on Saturday.  
 
The Frenchman also refuted the claims that Jaish would field a second-string team considering their weak opponents and their upcoming match against Al Arabi. “We want to win these three points. We won’t play with a second team. For us Mesaimeer match is not more important than Arabi. We need to manage some players considering our games ahead but not all,” said Lamouchi.
 
The Jaish coach also had kind words for his counterpart Gacanin despite Mesaimeer being all but relegated from the QSL. “I would like to congratulate Rodion (Gacanin) for his good job with the team even though they are in the last position. They are a very difficult team to play against. His players show a lot of discipline during the match. We will have to be very patient in order to create chance,” said Lamouchi.