Qatar- Al Sadd eager to stay unbeaten as Al Gharafa eye top four spot

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) By Chinthana Wasala | The Peninsula Champions Al Sadd have got nothing to lose but there will be plenty at stake for Al Gharafa when the two teams clash in the 20th round of the QNB Stars League at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium today. The match kicks off at 4:00 pm. Al Sadd have already accumulated 51 points from 19 matches so far and they are the only side to remain unbeaten this season - a truly remarkable feat indeed. On the other hand, Al Gharafa have 30 points in their account and they are one point behind fourth-placed Qatar SC. Al Sadd have received a huge boost ahead of their match against Al Gharafa with a number of players returning to the squad following international duties. Coach Xavi Hernandez said their intention is to end the season without a defeat but warned that facing Al Gharafa has been always difficult. 'As everyone knows, facing Al Gharafa is always difficult. They have a very good coach and an excellent team with good local and foreign players, and they compete well in the league, Xavi said. 'We want to end this season without a defeat. Our focus is on winning and getting three points. We play on our soil, Xavi said durign a press conference yesterday. Coach Xavi Hernandez had plenty of options to choose from when he selected the final playing XI with the return of 12 members of the Qatar squad as well as Algerian goal machine Baghdad Bounedjah and Qatar U-23 players. According to the final line-up announced by Xavi yesterday, a number of them have been rested, but still they have one of the strongest Al Sadd outfits fans have seen this season. Saad Al Dosari, Meshaal Barsham, Musaab Khidir, Tarek Salman, Abdelkarim Hassan, Yousuf Abdurisag, Mohammed Waad and Salem Al Hajri who were part of the Qatar team which enjoyed an unbeaten run in Hungary, where they played in the Qatar 2022 European qualifiers, have been included in the team for today's match. Algerian forward Bounedjah, this season's leading goal scorer who returned after playing for his country in the qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations, has also been included. 'We will rest some of the players because most of them have travelled and played many games in a short period, but there is no excuse and we need to win and we have to play with well. We want to finish this competition by winning the remaining three games, Xavi said yesterday before announcing the final team. On the other hand, Al Gharafa will be keen to make their best effort in their three remaining matches in order to secure a place in the top four which will eventually make them eligible to play in next year's AFC Asian Champions League. The top three teams from the QSL receive automatic qualifications for the continental event while the fourth placed team gets to play in the play-off round. Al Gharafa, having finished fourth in the last QSL season, are playing in this season's play-off round of the AFC event in few days, when they take on Uzbekistan's FC AGMK on April 7. Back in QSL, Al Gharafa will have to put up an exceptional show against Al Sadd in today's game to keep their hopes alive. Coach Slavisa Jokanovic said the remaining three matches are of the utmost importance. 'We had to prepare with approximately 12 players as nine of our players had joined their respective national teams. They have returned and we will rev-up our preparations for this match as well as the rest of the remaining matches, Jokanovic said during a pre-match press conference yesterday. 'Al Sadd have been making changes in their matches as they have many distinguished players on the team's roster. But usually their team's strength is not affected by these kinds of changes. We are fully aware of the difficulty of the match and what lies ahead and therefore we need to show the best quality of performance so that we can achieve the desired result, the Yugoslavian said. 'We are one point away from the top four. We started the season well, but during the past two months our performance was not perfect. We must maintain our focus and strive to end the season in the best possible position, Jokanovic said ahead of the blockbuster clash. The 20th round of the League sees all matches being played on a single day. The encounter between former champions Al Duhail and Al Arabi will follow the Al Sadd-Al Gharafa clash at the same venue. Meanwhile, at Qatar SC Stadium, Al Raayyan who are currently in the third spot with 34 points, will take on Umm Salal. Their match will be followed by a clash between Qatar SC and in-form Al Sailiya who emerged Ooredoo Cup champions a week ago. Al Wakrah will meet Al Khor before Al Kharaitiyat take on the hosts at Al Ahli Stadium.MENAFN03042021000063011010ID1101854316