Do or die for sides at the foot of the table

Round 17 of the QSL season could be a defining one for one of the six sides at the foot of the table who are separated by just five points. With such tight margins heading into the second half of the season, many sides will know that a run of wins can significantly boost their survival chances this term.

Al Kharaitiyat’s good form came to a stuttering halt in round 16 with a 2-1 defeat to Al Arabi. Prior to this Ahmad Al-Ajlani’s side had registered three wins in their last four QSL encounters, which suggested that they had turned a corner. They will be taking on an Al Khor side that has also seen an upturn in fortunes in their last five games. Last time out Khor secured a vital point against El Jaish in a 0-0 draw. With just one point separating the sides in the league, both coaches will be aiming for a win for further daylight between them and the drop zone.

All four sides currently in the QSL relegation zone will all have tough tests this week against sides who are aiming to be in top four contention come the end of the season.

First up, eleventh placed Al Sailiya will take on sixth placed Umm Salal on Friday evening at Ahli stadium. This could be a good time to take on Umm Salal for Sami Trabelsi’s side as both attackers Yannick Sagbo and Mahmoud Al-Mawas of Umm Salal are absent through suspension.

Al Shahania is currently in twelfth place in the QSL standings take on an out of sorts Al Gharafa team on Saturday evening.  The Oryxes new coach Igor Štimac has insisted that his side is “ready to win” and two draws in the last two games seems to suggest his side is moving in the right direction. They take on a Gharafa team who dropped points against Muaither last time out.

Thirteenth placed Al Wakrah has the unenviable task of taking on league leaders Lekhwiya away from home on Sunday afternoon. Last time out the Blue Waves where dealt a hammer blow to their survival hopes with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Al Ahli. Despite this, Wakrah coach Kais Yâakoubi will be heartened by his recent record against the side in the top four which includes two draws against El Jaish and Al Sadd. The Tunisian coach will be hoping that luck can be with his side when they take on a Lekhwiya side that currently has a five point gap at the top of the QSL standings.

Finally Muaither will take on Al Sadd in the final game of round 17. Phillipe Birol’s side exhibited plenty of fighting spirit to come back from two goals down to share the points with Al Gharafa last time out and will be realistically targeting their third straight draw. As for Al Sadd they are in the unique position of coming into a game off the back of a defeat for the first time this season. The Wolves narrowly lost 2-1 to title rivals Lekhwiya and Coach Jesaldo Ferriera will be looking for a big reaction from his side.