The QNB Stars League’s sixth round will conclude on Saturday, with Qatar SC facing Al Sailiya (17:20) and Al Duhail playing Al Gharafa (19:30), both at the Al Duhail Stadium.

The spotlight will be on the game between leaders as well as holders Al Duhail and Al Gharafa. Qatar SC are desperate to make a turnaround in their fortunes, so both fixtures should throw up excitement.

Qatar SC Vs Al Sailiya

Qatar SC (10th with three points) will be desperate for a win as they take on Al Sailiya (fifth with nine points). Qatar SC’s only win came against promoted side Al Markhiya in the second round, while Al Sailiya have had a good season, having already registered three victories. Both are coming off defeats, Al Sailiya going down to Al Rayyan 0-1 and Qatar SC crashing to a 0-3 defeat to Al Ahli, who thus posted their first win.

Al Sailiya’s Tunisian coach Sami Trabelsi, who was angry with his players for missing many chances against Al Rayyan, said his wards were an ambitious lot and looked to beat Qatar SC. He is also working on improving their concentration level on the pitch.

Sami’s Qatar SC counterpart Gabriel Calderon stressed the need for his team to strengthen both attack and defence. Their scoring rate looks unimpressive, having netted five goals and conceded 11.

Al Duhail Vs Al Gharafa

Al Duhail, leading the table with 15 points, are on a high and are coming off their 4-1 victory over fourth-placed Umm Salal, while Al Gharafa, sixth on five points, will look to amend for their 1-4 shocker against Al Kharaitiyat in the previous round.

Al Gharafa will have to bring out their best if they are to stop a marauding Al Duhail on their tracks. Frenchman Jean Fernandez’s wards should also hope luck is on their side when they take on Algerian Djamel Belmadi-coached The Red Knights.

Youssef El Arabi, in the form of his life with 10 goals already to his credit, leads Al Duhail’s charge, ably supported by South Korean professional Nam Tae-Hee, Luis Martin and Karim Boudiaf. Then there are Qatar international forward Ali Afif and Tunisian Youssef Msakni.

Al Gharafa have paid the price for their inconsistent performances so far this season. The Cheetahs’ French coach Jean Fernandez admitted that they had a tough task on hand and hoped his players gel well as a team sooner rather than later.

Slovak Vladimir Weiss, Portuguese Diogo Amado and Chilean Luis Jimenez mainly carry Al Gharafa’s hopes. They will have to tighten their defence that has conceded more goals (seven) than they scored (six).