(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Round 22 of the season will see a spotlight match between two sides that are battling for survival in the QSL. Al Shahaniya welcome an in-form Al Kharaitiyat side to Al Arabi stadium on Saturday knowing that only a win will be enough, with time running out for Igor Štimac's side.
Last time out, Al Shahaniya took the lead twice against bottom of the table Al Wakrah only to be pegged back thanks to two penalties. Shahaniya have registered the most draws of any other side in the QSL this season with 11 so far. The Oryxes are currently in twelfth place in the QSL standings, and five points away from safety.
If Shahaniya are to grab only their third win of the season, they will need Iranian striker Rahim Zahivi to be on top form on Saturday evening. The former Esteghlal Khuzestan attacker grabbed a brace last time out against Wakrah, and his goal scoring prowess will be needed again if the Oryxes are to pick up all three points.
As for Al Kharaitiyat, they seem to have been finding their form at exactly the right time as they beat to beat the drop into the Qatar Gas League. Ahmad al-Ajlani's side have now registered back to back wins in the league, following their impressive 2-1 win over El Jaish.
The all-important win saw the Thunders pull out of the relegation zone, and give the side renewed hope of beating relegation for another season.
Uzbek winger Sanzhar Tursunov has been crucial to his sides upturn in fortunes since joining the side in January. The former Umm Salal player has been inspirational in attack in the last few weeks, regularly creating chances for his team-mates. Tursunov will have to be at his very best if Kharaitiyat are to break down the stubborn Shahaniya backline.
It certainly promises to be a fascinating relegation battle when Al Shahaniya take on Al Kharaitiyat in the QSL spotlight match for round 22.
NUMBER SPEAK
Round 21 of the QSL season has seen plenty of action, and in our regular feature we have a look at the key statistics to date in the QSL. All of our data has been provided by STATS, the official statistical partner of the Qatar Stars League.
In terms of goals, the season so far has seen 458 goals, in 147 games leading to a high average of 3.12 goals per QSL game. Whilst the league has seen 393 assists registered so far this season. Interestingly, 68 of the goals scored have come from strikes outside the box.
The QSL season, has seen over 3,793 shots taken by players in the league with 1,751 of these shots finding their target. This means that 46.1% of all shots in the league found their target so far this season. A total of 91 penalties have been awarded his season to date, 75 of which found the back of the net which means a conversion rate of 82.4%.
The season has seen over 587 yellow cards, whilst 28 players have been sent off over this season so far.
Goalkeepers have registered 67 clean sheets, whilst the average distance covered per player in a game is 10,547m.
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