Al Sadd take on title rivals Lekhwiya in top of table clash.

Round 16 of the QSL season will see second placed Al Sadd take on league leaders Lekhwiya in a top of the table match of the week.

Both sides are undefeated this season in the QSL, and head coach Jesaldo Ferriera will know that a win for Al Sadd will see his side leap into first place in the QSL standings. As for Lekhwiya, a win or a draw for Djamel Belmadi’s side will see the four time QSL champions stretch their lead at the top of the table. 

Al Sadd come into the tie after a hard fought 1-0 win over Al Ahli. The Wolves seemed to struggle against with the absence of leading scorer Bagdad Bounjah, who has left the side to represent Algeria at the  2017 AFCON. Despite this, Sadd still came away with the all important three points thanks to a fine strike from Meshaal Al-Shammeri. Ferriera will be heartened by the way his side battled for the win, and will be hoping for more of the same when Lekhwiya visit Al Sadd stadium on Friday evening. 

Whilst for the away side Lekhwiya, they registered one of their best performances of the season in round 15, easily defeating in-form Al Gharafa 3-0. Goals from Ismael Mohammed, Moaez Ali, and returning striker Muhammed Muntari ensured it was a comfortable evening for the Red Knights. Even more impressive was the fact that Lekhwiya didn’t seem to loose any of their attacking verve with the absence of top scorer, Yusef Al Arabi who is also at the 2017 AFCON with Morocco. 

With Al Sadd taking on the best attack in the league, their defence will have to be at their very best if they are to come away with a famous win. Pedro Miguel could hold the key for the Wolves in this game. The former Al Ahli man has been a leading figure in the Sadd back-line this season, and has also popped up with some important goals at times. The Qatar international will have to be at full concentration to quell the fluid attacking threat of Lekhwiya. 

As for Lekhwiya, Djamel Belmadi will be looking to win the midfield battle and keep Al Sadd captain Xavi quiet. Qatar international midfielder Karim Boudiaf will be charged with trying to disrupt the Al Sadd tempo in the centre of the park. Boudiaf certainly has the attributes to be a difference maker in this high stakes game, and it will be interesting to see how he is deployed for his side against Al Sadd. 

It certainly promises to be a game of real high quality when Al Sadd take on Lekhwiya in a top of the table QSL match of the week on Friday the 13th of January at Al Sadd stadium, KO 18:30pm.