The match of the week for the fifth round of QSL action will see second placed Lekhwiya welcome Al Arabi to the Lekhwiya stadium on Friday evening, 19:30 KO.

Lekhwiya have started the season in fine form and have been playing some sumptuous football under head coach Djamel Belmadi. The former QSL champions are unbeaten in four games, and currently sit in second place in the standings tied on ten points with both Al Sadd and El Jaish.

Last time out, the Red Knights survived a late Al Wakrah fightback to run out 3-2 winners. A first half brace from summer signing Yusef El Arabi, along with a second half goal from Ali Afif was enough for Lekhiwya to grab all three points at Wakrah, a place they have struggled at in recent years.

One secret to Lekhwiya’s success this term has been a slightly larger squad at Djamel Belmadi’s disposal. The increased competition in the side has pushed on an already talented group to play some of their best football in years.

One benefactor of this increased competition has been Ali Afif. The Qatar international has grabbed three goals so far this term, and his performances caught the eye of Qatar national team head coach Jorge Fossati. The tricky winger will be targeting another goal and a starting place against Al Arabi.

As for the vistors Al Arabi, they will be eager to get back to winning ways after their 2-0 derby defeat to Al Ahli. The Dream team has had a stuttering start to the season, and currently sits in seventh place in the QSL standings with a tally of seven points.  

Gerardo Pelusso’s sides have been Jekyll and Hyde in the league thus far either winning or losing their games. This point is further underlined with the ten new players in the squad, it seems that with so many squad changes over the four games the Uraguyan tactian has yet to settle of his definitive eleven.

One player expected to step for Al Arabi against Lekhwiya will be big name summer signing Luis Jiménez. The former Chilean international was quiet in his debut against Ahli, and management will be expecting a big performance from the man from Santiago.

Friday evening’s clash between two title challenging sides promises to be an interesting encounter, and both teams will be looking for three points to stake their claim on the QSL falcon shield come the end of the season. The match will kick off at 19:30pm at Lekhwiya stadium, you can pick up tickets for the game here.