Second take on fifth in the QSL match of the week

The QSL match of the week will see second placed Al Sadd take on top four chasing Al Gharafa on Friday evening. Both sides head into the game off the back of important wins against relegation threatened teams last time out, and will be targeting a statement win against the one of the form teams in the QSL. Last time the sides faced each other they shared six goals in a thrilling 3-3 draw, and expectations will be high for a repeat performance. 

Al Sadd head into their match with the Cheetahs following an important 6-1 win over bottom of the table Muaither last time out. Both Jugurtha Hamroun and striker Hamza Sanhaji grabbed a brace as the Wolves ran riot. More importantly for Jesaldo Ferriera’s side is that they closed the gap to league leaders Lekhwiya after the Red Knights came back to draw with Al Wakrah 3-3.

With the gap now just at three points, Al Sadd will be eager to keep the pressure up on their title rivals with an important win. One major boost for Sadd will be the return of leading scorer Bagdad Bounjah, who is set to return later in the week after his Algeria side, was knocked out of the group stages of the AFCON. Bounjah has scored fifteen times in thirteen QSL games this season and will be eager to find the back of the net again in this crunch match.

Al Gharafa similarly put in a solid performance last week, brushing aside relegation threatened Al Shahania 3-0. Slovakian winger Vladimir Weiss scored a spectacular solo effort, along with strikes from Abdulghani Muneer and Abdulaziz Hatem to ensure that the Cheetahs returned to winning ways following a slump in recent form.

Pedro Caixina’s side only has a four point gap between themselves and fourth placed El Jaish, and will also be looking to keep their top four aspirations alive. Al Gharafa should welcome back Mohammed Razak into the squad following a domestic ban, whilst Hungarian striker Krisztián Németh is unlikely to feature.

One player who will be eager to make an impact is Fahad Al Shammari. The veteran Qatari player has been switched to a wing-back this season, and has thrived in the role. Al Shammari is a seasoned campaigner with Al Gharafa and would like nothing more to get a result against Al Sadd.

It certainly promises to be a tight, technical encounter when Al Sadd takes on Al Gharafa in the QSL match of the week for round 18. You can pick up tickets for the match here.