Al Gharafa target victory over Qatar SC
After a stunning victory over Al Rayyan last week, Al Gharafa – boosted by the arrival of striker Jonathan Kodjia - are confident of giving a good show against any opposition they face at the QNB Stars League (QSL). The Slavisa Jokanovic-coached side will host Qatar SC with the same approach, eyeing victory in their Round 14 clash today.
Al Gharafa shocked Al Rayyan 4-2 after a hat-trick by Ivory Coast’s Kodjia, who excelled in his debut game in Qatar following his move from Aston Villa.
The Cheetahs are currently fourth in the QSL standings with 23 points, trailing Al Sadd by 4 points with Al Duhail (33 points) and Al Rayyan (28 points) occupying the first two spots.
They face an opposition in Qatar SC, who have shown an improved performance since former Qatar international Wesam Rizik replaced Spaniard Carlos Alos Ferrer as their manager. They held points leaders Al Duhail to a goalless draw in their Round 12 game.
Al Gharafa’s coach Jokanovic, who is hoping to earn full points in today’s game, expects resistance from Qatar SC at Al Gharafa Stadium.
“Qatar SC are one of the much-improved teams this season. They did not suffer any defeat in recent matches and achieved important victories, especially against Al Sadd,” Jokanovic said at a pre-match press conference.
“Our opponents in the next game have good players who are able to quickly switch from defence to attack, which may be dangerous to us, but our target is to win despite the difficulty of the game,” he added.
Apart from Kodjia, Al Gharafa will be banking on the Algerian duo of Sofianne Hanni, Adlene Guedioura, Ahmed Alaaeldin, Amro Seraj, Othman Al Yahri and Muad Hassan in the match.
“Al Gharafa provided a good match against Al Rayyan in the previous round. All players appeared at a good level, especially new striker Kodjia who scored three goals, which may not be repeated in every game, I expect him to increase his focus to provide the same not only at the level of scoring, but also in other aspects,” he said.
“We played some games without some professional players, but once they all are available, we will provide a better level and return to victories,” Jokanovic added.
Meanwhile, Qatar SC coach Rizik hoped for a good performance from his side. “We will face Al Gharafa with full force and we have to be careful. God willing, we will perform well,” said Rizik.
“I am convinced that any team should have a bad match, which happened against Al Wakrah (goalless draw). Everyone admitted that the performance was not enough to satisfy us. It was a lesson for us and we have benefited a lot."
“I am waiting for my players’ reaction against Al Gharafa. I consider this match as a special challenge for them. As is the case with all matches, we consider it as a big mission for us,” the coach said.
“We did not think we needed to change the side in the winter transfer window on the front of overseas professionals. But I spoke to the team management about recruiting two Qatari players, who would be good additions,” said Wesam.
The match will kick off at 6:45pm after today’s first match between Al Wakrah and Al Shahania, which will be played at Al Wakrah Stadium from 4:35pm.
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