(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Fawad Hussain |
The Peninsula
Doha: Al Arabi are enjoying a strong start to the QNB Stars League (QSL) winning four of their first five matches to lead the points table, and the inclusion of Brazilian midfielder Rafinha Alcantara is expected to give them a further boost in their campaign this season.
The Dream Team signed the 29-year-old from French giants Paris Saint-Germain for two seasons on Saturday as the Younes Ali-coached side looks to strengthen their arsenal, which already includes Abdulaziz Al Ansari, Omar Al Somah and Yousef Al Msakni.
Rafinha, a former Barcelona player spent the second half of the last season out on loan at Real Sociedad, making 17 appearances.
While the Brazilian attended Al Arabi's training session yesterday, the team has not revealed whether the midfielder will make his Qatar debut in tomorrow's game against Al Sailiya at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
The Dream Team will be looking to bounce back quickly from a defeat to Al Duhail last week, which was their first loss of the season after four consecutive victories.
Coach Younes Ali said the team must learn from mistakes in the 0-3 defeat to the Red Knights.
“We must forget the defeat and focus on the matches ahead by avoiding the mistakes. The league is long and we must continue the hardwork to achieve our goals in the season,” he said.
Al Sailiya have been struggling earning only three points from their first five matches, with coach Sami Trabelsi hoping for a turnaround against Al Arabi.
“The performance of our players has not been bad as mistakes have cost us in our previous matches. We must not repeat the mistakes and avail our chances,” Trabelsi told a press conference yesterday.
“Al Arabi are a strong side which plays with a winning mentality. But we have the potential to beat them and earn a much-needed victory. We need to recover in the league before the FIFA World Cup break,” he said.
Apart from Al Arabi vs Al Sailiya game, defending champions Al Sadd and Al Shamal will square off tomorrow's other match at the same venue.
While Al Arabi lead the table, Al Wakrah are second with 11 points followed by Al Duhail with 10 points.
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