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Ayeni Olusegun
Doha
Stuttering Al Gharafa will have their hands full when they take on Sami Trabelsi’s Al Sailiya in the QNB Stars League at the Al Ahli Stadium on Friday.
The Cheetahs have suffered a dip in form since the begining of the year which has seen them crash out in both domestic cup competitions (Amir Cup and Ooredoo Cup).
Their performance in both competitions have left a sour taste for the club and fans but coach Slavisa Jokanovic said his side have shown some positives lately as they target a top four finish.
“The loss against Al Markhiya in the Amir Cup left a negative impact on the team, after that we worked to make a positive reaction.
Last week’s match against Al Ahli, we missed something. We scored first, but Al Ahli equalled. Even if the team achieved victory, I will not be satisfied because of the image that the team showed, we were so far from our level,” the Serbian said.
With just one win in their last five matches and seven games left to be playaerd, Jokanovic knows his side need to start winning matches again starting with Al Sailiya who they lost 3-1 to in the reverse fixture in September.
“The league is nearing its end, so we are required to collect more points in order to stay in the top four. We started the league well, but we faced different circumstances that affected our level. Now, all players are ready to play except Muad Hassan who will be absent. We are looking for victory against Al Sailiya,” he added.
Al Sailiya on the other hand will be hoping to turn around their fortunes after a mixed season so far.
The Peregrines made their AFC Champions League debut albeit a playoff which they narrowly lost on penalties to Iranian side Shah Khodro.
Sami Trabelsi’s men have also suffered in the league languishing in sixth place. Having tasted some success last year, perhaps a failure to replicate that would not ssit well with the fans and management.
“Certainly, if we do not finish among the top four this season, it will be a disappointment, especially since we have better players than we had last season.
“Our problem was that we started the season poorly because we weren’t focused and disciplined sometimes. This season, our defence was better, but our problem was in attack. But we are still working in order to reach our target of finishing in the top four,” said Trabelsi.
Against AL Gharafa, he said, “The match against Al Gharafa will be difficult. They have many high-quality players and are good in all departments of the game. So all in all, this is going to be a crucial game for us as we seek a top-four finish. I hope we will be successful especially in attack and come up with a positive result.”
Al Wakrah vs Umm Salal
Also on Friday, Umm Salal will hope to build on last week’s draw against Al Sadd when they take on seventh-placed Al Wakrah. The relegation playoff team, face an uphill task against the swift-playing Wakrah especially with Mohammed Benyettou in superb form.
“The game against Al Wakrah is undoubtedly not easy. We are working for a better future for the team, especially after the draw against Al Sadd last weekend. Al Wakrah are a strong team and I respect them. We have to learn every day and from every match. Any encounter is difficult, we can win or lose,” Umm Salal coach Aziz Ben Askar noted.
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28/02/2020
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