(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The 2020-21 QNB Stars League is back after a break with the Al Arabi vs Al Sadd match, dubbed the Qatar Derby, and the Al Duhail vs Al Gharafa clash the highlights tomorrow.
Al Sadd are top of the table with 13 points, with Al Ahli are second on 12 and Al Duhail third on nine after five matches.
Today Umm Salal, who are 10th on the table with just four points, face Al Ahli at the Qatar SC Stadium.
Umm Salal, under the tutelage of their former player Aziz Ben Askar from Morocco, will be keen improve their position.
'Al Ahli are a good team and they began the season in a good way through the work done by their coach and players, so we expect a strong match. We are preparing ourselves and we have a good way of playing, said Ben Askar.
'We work seriously every day, not for this match only, but for all upcoming games this season that I previously described as difficult because it started 10 days after the end of last season.
'We need to focus because we will play against top teams in the coming weeks, a period that will be difficult for us. Once we finish that, we will know what is our situation, he added.
Umm Salal player Ayman Abdel Nour said: 'We are ready for the match against Al Ahli, which we expect to be strong, and our preparations for it went off well, not only in defence, but in all departments. We hope to present a good match.
Al Ahli coach Nebosha Jovovic predicted a tough match.
'The match will not be easy, but we have prepared the team well to meet Umm Salal, who have improved a lot. We respect Umm Salal, they are one of the good teams noted for high quality in performance, he said.
'They have strengthened their ranks with a number of outstanding players, but we have enough players to face them and score points. Al Ahli were having a dream run, leading the table with an all-win record. That was broken in Week 5 when they lost big-time (1-7) to Al Sadd before the tournament took a break.
In another match today, Qatar SC will take on Al Wakrah, hoping the break would have done wonders to their confidence
'We needed a break in order to strengthen the squad with some new players. We will play for the first time this season with five professionals. In general, the team is taking positive steps towards harmony and stability, and all these factors will help deliver a level and performance that matches the efforts exerted by everyone, said Qatar SC coach Younis Ali
'I would like to commend the efforts of the club's Board of Directors to provide the necessary support to achieve the desired results in the next phase. And we are trying as much as possible to make up for the lost time with the arrival of six to seven new players, he added.
'Al Wakrah are one of the teams noted for collective performance and they are also a well-organised side. They also have players noted for individual brilliance. Therefore, we try to impose our style and provide a level befitting the name and position of Qatar SC.
Al Wakrah coach Marquez Lopez said his team needed to regain their winning touch.
'The game against Qatar SC is very important for us, as we need to regain our winning touch, especially since we got only one point from our last two games when we lost to Al Rayyan and drew with Al Arabi. We are fully prepared for this match.
'In the Ooredoo Cup during the break, I fielded players who did not play mainly. In the last two matches, I played with the team's starting line-up in the league and now there is the problem of injuries.
In another match, Al Sailiya will take on Al Khor.
'Our team benefited from the stoppage in the league as some of our players recovered from their injuries and played in the Ooredoo Cup. We were given the opportunity to prepare most of the players during the break period, said Al Sailiya coach Sami al-Trablesi.
'The team's ranks are now complete with the return of Iraqi striker Mohanad Ali ‘Mimi' after his international duty. He will lead our attack front the front against Al Khor. Another key player Nadir Belhadj has also recuperated from his injury.
'We hope that the enthusiasm and reaction we witnessed from the players in the Ooredoo Cup matches will be present in the league matches and we take advantage of the morale boost that the players got after our quarterfinal victory over Al Arabi.
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