The highlight of matchday five will be the classic clash between Al Rayyan and Al Gharrafa at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Saturday, while Al Jaish and Al Wakrah will battle it out for the top spot in a promising game at Abdullah bin Khalifa stadium on Friday.
18-10-2013
18-10-2013
Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium – 20.30 QT
Al Jaish vs. Al Wakrah
The top clash this week will see Al Jaish hosting Al Wakrah with an eye on the top spot.
Al Wakrah is leading the table with eleven points, two points clear of the trio of Al Sailiyah, Qatar Sports Club and Al Jaish. The four sides are still undefeated after four rounds.
Al Wakrah’s new signing, Michel, scored in every league game this season, and is leading the league‘s top scorers list with five goals. The 27-year-old Brazilian joined the blue waves in the summer on loan from Sporting Braga of Portugal.
Al Jaish conceded only one goal in their first four matches.
Grand Hamad Stadium – 18.15 QT
Al Sailiyah vs. Al Khurtiyath
Al Sailiyah will be hoping for another impressive performance when they face Al Khurtiyath.
“The Peregrines” finished last season at the bottom of the table and were only saved by a late decision to expand the league to 14 teams, but this year everything looks different for the team with the arrival of the new coach Sami Trabelsi.
The 45-year-old former Tunisia coach miraculously transformed Al Sailiyah into a real title contender, thanks to the powerful attacking force of Momouni Dagano and new signing Yves Diba Ilunga.
In the previous round, Al Sailiyah crushed Qatari football giants Al Rayyan 5-1.
Al Khurtiyath started the campaign in great form by holding Al Wakrah to a 2-2 draw and defeating Lekhwiya away 2-0, but then their form slumped greatly and they suffered two consecutive defeats.
Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium – 18.15 QT
Lekhwiya vs. Muaither
Two-time champions Lekhwiya will be looking for an emphatic victory when they host newly-promoted Muaither.
With only one victory in four matches, pressure has been mounting on Eric Gerets, and another blunder against Muaither might cost the 59-year-old coach his job.
Muaither are tenth in the table with four points and are winless in their last three league games.
Ahmed bin Ali Stadium – 20.30 QT
Al Ahli vs. Umm Salal
The bottom of the table clash will be of great importance for both sides as they will be aiming for their first win this season.
After a poor start to the season Umm Salal sacked their French coach Alain Perrin and he was replaced by his countryman Gerard Gili, who previously lead the club to their biggest ever achievement when they won the Emir Cup and reached the semifinals of the AFC Champions League.
Gili’s first game in charge was an entertaining 4-4 draw against QSL Champions Al Sadd in matchday four.
Al Ahli lost the services of their midfield anchor Freydon Zandi who suffered a horrible leg injury in their match against Muaither, and will be out for at least 9 month. The Iranian midfielder played a big role in the team's return to top flight this season and the effect of his absence was clear in the previous round as they slumped to a 4-1 defeat against Al Arabi in the Doha Derby.
19-10-2013
Jassim bin Hamad Stadium – 18.15 QT
Al Sadd vs. Qatar
After kicking off their campaign with two straight victories, QSL Champions Al Sadd suffered a 1-0 defeat against Al Jaish, before missing on a close victory over Umm Salal a week later as they conceded a late equalizer from Cabore’ to draw with Umm Salal 4-4.
If the home side failed to win the game against Qatar on Saturday, it will be the first time they fail to win a league game in three consecutive rounds since April 2012.
Qatar Sports Club have made their best league start since the 2010/2011 season with two wins and two draws, but their clash against Al Sadd will be their toughest to date.
Sebastiao Lazaroni’s side will be hoping that their versatile winger Moussa Al Allaq can keep the brilliant form he showed lately as he was on target in the last two games scoring the winner against Al Khurtiyath and a nearly striker that secured a point against Al Gharrafa.
Grand Hamad Stadium – 18.15
Al Arabi vs. Al Khor
Al Arabi made another poor start to their league campaign despite revitalizing their team in the summer by signing eight new players.
Pressure was eased on German coach Uli Stielke in the previous round as his team defeated Al Ahli 4-1 in the Doha derby to secure their first win this season.
The match against Al Ahli also saw Wanderley scoring his first ever league brace for the team. The 25-year-old former Flamengo striker joined Al Arabi in 2011 but his first two seasons were marred by lengthy injuries.
New signings Mohamed Razak and Thamer Gamal also scored their first goals with the club in the same match.
Things look different for Al Khor who was expected to battle for a place among the top four this season, as they lie in the 12thposition with three points from three draws and a 4-0 home defeat against Al Rayyan.
The team was hit by the absence of Brazilian star striker Bruno Mineiro who suffered a broken-leg injury in the opening day of the season and was replaced by Morocco’s Fawzi Abdul Ghani who is yet to show his real potential.
Ahmed bin Ali Stadium – 20.30
Al Rayyan vs. Al Gharrafa
The Lions will host the Leopards in one of the Classic encounters in Qatari football as it brings together two of the most popular teams in the country.
Both sides failed to impress in the opening four rounds of the season, as Al Rayyan suffered three defeats including a humiliating 5-1 home loss against Al Sailiyah on Matchday Four, while Al Gharrafa settled for four consecutive draws.
Al Rayyan coach Diego Aguirre is on a hot seat and if his team failed to perform well against the Leopards he might be on his way out of the club.
Al Gharrafa’s coach Zico will hope that the club’s two big summer signings, Argentina’s Lisandro Lopez and Venezuela’s Miku can finally hit form. Both stars made their league debut in the previous round against Qatar SC as Lopez missed the opening three rounds with a thigh injury, while Miku joined the team on the closing day of the transfer window.