Al Sailiya, Al Rayyan, Al Ahli battling for top-four finish
Doha, Qatar: Al Sadd sealed title in emphatic fashion last week while Al Duhail SC are assured of second place but there is still plenty to play for, especially for teams desperately looking for the Champions League qualification spots as well as those engaged in the relegation battle, in the final round of QNB Stars League on Saturday.
Al Sailiya, Al Rayyan and Al Ahli can all end up in the third position but they are all in danger of missing out on fourth spot and the all-important chance for a crack at the next season’s Champions League.
Sailiya, in third with 35 points, take on Al Kharaitiyat who looked a transformed team after enduring a horrible run for the most part of the season.
Sailiya just need to win to ensure the third spot and Sami Trabelsi’s men look more than capable of that.
“The game against Al Kharaitiyat is important and crucial for us and we will try to finish the league in third place, where we are now,” said Sailiya assistant coach Amin Farekha.
“We are in a respectable position and have improved a lot in the recent rounds. It is going to be a tricky match for both teams as our opponents are trying to escape relegation. And we want the third place in standings.
“Our goal is clear. We want to win. We know the other scenarios and we will play hard to collect full points.
“We know that our rivals will throw everything into the match in order to achieve their goal. The pressure on us is actually a positive factor. The most important thing in that we have to be highly focused against Al Kharaitiyat,” said Farekha.
Al Rayyan also have their fate in their own hands and a victory against Qatar SC, who have lost all five of their recent matches, will ensure them at least a fourth place which will give them a spot in next year's Champions League qualifiers.
“We are fully focused on our QNB Stars League game against Qatar SC. We will try hard to win. Otherwise, we will make things difficult for ourselves as far as top-four finish is concerned,” said Rayyan Under-23 coach Gilson Souza.
“We have some injury concerns and losing Tuesday’s AFC Champions League game against the UAE’s Al Wahda will have a negative impact on our players. But as professionals, they have to think high and bring out their best so that we stay in the top four with a good result,” said Souza.
Ahli, in fifth place with 33 points, are in a tougher spot and not only need a victory against Al Khor but also help from elsewhere to finish fourth or third.
Ahli need either Rayyan to drop points against Qatar SC or Kharaitiyat to beat Al Sailiya to finish in the top four, and coach Ruben de la Barrera said losing to Al Sailiya in Week 17 was a blow.
“We are ready to face Al Khor in our final game of the season. Three points are very important for us and we will play hard to win. We do not want to go into big details. What is important is to win and then look at the standings,” said De la Barrera.
The fact that both Qatar SC and Kharaitiyat are in the relegation spot and will go will all their might to avoid the drop.
Meanwhile at the top Al Sadd will look to sign off with another big win when they take on Umm Salaal while Duhail will have a tougher opponents in Al Arabi.
In the other match, seventh-placed Al Gharafa take on Al Shahania who are just one spot below them.
