Round 23 of the Qatar Stars League (QSL) comes to a close when the current top four sides face off in what promises to be a showpiece of the best teams in the Qatar. QSL online decided to look at the ‘Top 4 League’ between the giants of Qatari football. To gauge which teams will have the upper hand in the Sunday evening matches at Al Sadd stadium.Rayyan Lead the way.
Al Rayyan started their matches against their top four rivals with a 3-1 victory over former QSL champions Lekhwiya back in round 7. Two late goals from Sergio Garcia and former Lekhwiya man Sebastian Soria gave Rayyan their first major scalp of the season.
Jorge Fossati’s men also left it late against rivals El Jaish to grab all three points in round 10 of the QSL. The match was looking like heading for a 1-1 draw following Hamdullah’s 85th minute equalizer. However the Lions rallied and two minutes later scored a fine winner through Rodrigo Tabata, in what was a big turning point for Al Rayyan.
In December Rayyan faltered to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Al Sadd, but soon got back to winning ways against their top four rivals. The Lions breezed past Lekhwiya 5-0 effectively sealing their status as QSL champions for the first time in 21 years.
Key Man- Four goals and three assists against the top four mean that summer signing Sergio Garcia is the man to watch of Al Rayyan. Jorge Fossati will be hoping the former Espanyol man can grab a few more goals for the QSL champions, when they take on El Jaish on Sunday evening. He has a Prozone player rating of 95.2 against the top four teams.
Solid effort from El Jaish
Second placed El Jaish has registered two wins and two defeats in their games against the top four rivals. A 2-0 round 6 derby win over Lekhwiya set the tone for Jaish, with a quick-fire first half double from Abderrazak Hamdallah enough to secure all three points.
A 2-1 defeat to Rayyan followed in round 10, but Sabri Lamouchi’s side got back to winning ways against top four rivals in round 13. Jaish defeated Al Sadd 4-2 with goals from Romarino, Rashidov and a brace from Hamdallah to push the Soldgers up to second place in the QSL standings. Jaish’s last game to a top four rival ended with a comprehensive 3-0 defeat to Lekhwiya.
Key Man- Abderrazak Hamdallah has set the QSL on fire this season, and is El Jaish’s main man when it comes to taking on the top four. The Moroccan international has scored four goals in four games against the top four and will be hoping to add to his tally against Al Rayyan. He has a Prozone player rating of 77.3.
Former Champs Lacking in top 4 fight.
Former QSL champions Lekhwiya are third in the top 4 mini league registering two wins and three defeats overall. Two early defeats to Al Rayyan (3-1) and El Jaish (2-0) where tempered with a moral boosting 4-2 win against Al Sadd in round 10. The game looked like it was heading for a 2-2 draw but two goals in six minutes from Chico Flores and Nam Tae Hee gave Djamel Belmadi’s side all three points over their bitter rivals.
Two goals from winter signing Alain Dioko helped Lekhwiya register a 3-0 win over El Jaish. Lekwiya’s last tie against Al Rayyan resulted in a 5-0 humbling at the hands of Al Rayyan.
Key Man- Lekhwiya captain Karim Boudhiaf has been the Red Knights big game player against the top 4 this season. Djamel Belmadi will be looking for the Qatari international to bring a calming influence to midfielder when Lekhiwya face Al Sadd this weekend. He has a Prozone player rating of 85.0 against the top 4.
Improvement needed from Al Sadd.
Al Sadd are currently bottom of the pile this season when facing their top 4 rivals. So far they have only registered one win; however it was a big Qatar Clasico victory over Al Rayyan. Two first half goals from attackers Hamza &Muriqui where enough for Al Sadd to get all three points in Jesaldo Ferreria’s first match in charge.
Apart from this big win the Wolves have endured two defeats to El Jaish & Lekhiwya losing 4-2 in both games. However Sadd could improve their position in the top four mini league as they take on all three of their rivals (Lekhwiya, El Jaish & Al Rayyan) in their final four games of the QSL season.
Key Man- Al Sadd’s Algerian midfielder Nadir Belhadj has been the Wolves star performer against the top sides this season. So far he has grabbed two goals against the top 4, and has an impressive 91.0 Prozone player rating.
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