Al Arabi face Al Wakrah in Week 2 of the 2024-2025 season Ooredoo Stars League at the Al Thumama Stadium on Saturday.
Both teams will go into the match having one point each in their kitty from a draw in the first round, so winning Saturday’s game would be a priority for them to stay up in the league standings, especially since it is the ambition of both clubs to compete strongly for the title.
Al Arabi’s Qatari coach Younes Ali will certainly seek to benefit from all players he has at his disposal and will push in the striking force given Al Wakrah’s distinguished line-up, which comprises top stars, be Qataris or foreign professionals.
Al Arabi shared points following a goalless draw in the opening round with Al Shahania, in a match despite being quite close to victory had it not been for the penalty kick that was taken by their Tunisian star Yousef Msakni and saved by Al Shahania goalkeeper Bautista Burki.
Al Wakrah also had a tied 2-2 with Al Ahli in their first-round match. And despite his dissatisfac
tion with the result, Spanish coach Miguel Angel is confident in his team’s ability to get a better result against Al Arabi, given the team’s full readiness.
On Sunday, Al Khor will face Al Shahania in Week 2 of the 2024-2025 season Ooredoo Stars League at the Al Bayt Stadium.
The two sides are looking to achieve their first victory of the league championship in the new season, after they had drawn results in their respective first round matches.
Al Khor held Al Gharafa, third in the league last season, to a goalless draw in the opening round at the Al Bayt Stadium, while Al Shahania also managed to force a goalless draw against Al Arabi at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium of Al Sadd club.
The upcoming match is therefore of great importance to both Al Khor and Al Shahania the two teams promoted from the Second Division. Scoring a win and gaining the three points will give either of them a strong start to the season and help advance in the standings.
The last match of Week 2 will be between Al Ahli and Al Gha
rafa at the Al Thumama Stadium on Sunday. The match will kick-off at 8.30pm.
The encounter is considered as one of the strongest in Week 2, given the form and fitness of the two sides and each team’s desire to achieve victory for additional motivation.
Al Ahli go into the match with one point under their belt having played out a draw with Al Wakrah in the first round.
Al Gharafa, in contrast, also have one point after they were held by Al Khor in the first round, but The Cheetahs are roaring high on confidence having just defeated the UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli 1-0 in the Preliminary Stage 2 fixture to qualify for 2024-2025 AFC Champions League Elite.
Al Gharafa therefore would go into the clash with a lot of enthusiasm and that would also help them shine in Ooredoo Stars League.
Meanwhile, Al Gharafa will look to exert their dominance and go past Al Ahli with a win and advance in the standings. Their coach Pedro Martins will look to make the most of his team’s good morale and push the players for an encore fo
llowing their win over Shabab Al Ahli.
Source: Qatar News Agency