Al Sadd seeks to maintain its lead in the Qatari Football League when it hosts Al Sailiya today, Thursday, in the fourth round, amidst pursuit from Al Shamal and Al Rayyan, who face Al Wakrah and Al Ahli respectively.
"Al Zaeem," the title holder of the past three editions, looks to cement its perfect start with a fifth consecutive win, and fourth in the league, after renewing its 4-1 victory over Al Gharafa in the previous round, just as it did in the Qatar Cup semi-final (2-1), to achieve a perfect record.
Al Sadd's task does not seem difficult given the modest level of its opponent, which has suffered three defeats.
Romanian Razvan Lucescu, Al Sadd's coach, said, "We are moving steadily after delivering a performance that seemed perfect in the last round, with a very high tempo that matches the scale of our ambition."
He added, "Every match has its importance and its own preparation method. We are always keen to be at our peak presence and focus without complacency, and we deal with matches one by one, with the goal of achieving our clear objective, which is to collect all the points."
In turn, Al Shamal, second in the standings with 7 points, looks to confirm its resurgence with a new win when it meets Al Wakrah, which has only managed one point from three matches, occupying the penultimate position.
The team of Spanish coach David Prats had overcome the loss to Al Rayyan in the Qatar Cup semi-final 4-5 on penalties, after a 3-3 draw in regular time, and achieved a 4-2 victory over Al Shahaniya.
Prats, assistant to his compatriot Xavi Hernandez during his time coaching Al Sadd, says, "We showed a strong personality after overcoming a double challenge between the difficulties of the previous Al Rayyan match in the Qatar Cup and trailing against Al Shahaniya, and we turned the result around thanks to our confidence."
He added: "We have a wonderful team and distinguished players, and we look forward to being an active party in the competition, but we must show strength and ferocity in every match, and our goal is to win against Al Wakrah."
Meanwhile, Al Rayyan, third in the standings and trailing Al Shamal on goal difference, will be required to return to the winning track when it meets Al Ahli, which has four points in seventh place.
Al Rayyan squandered its lead against Al Duhail, settling for a (1-1) draw, its first after two victories, while Al Ahli achieved its first win against Qatar SC after a loss and a draw.
The round will see Al Arabi, which achieved its first win in the tournament after two draws by defeating Al Sailiya 2-0 to reach five points in fourth place, looking for a second victory when it meets Qatar SC, which has only one point from three matches and sits in tenth place.
Al Gharafa, which had a disappointing start with only one win to occupy ninth place, meets Lusail, which achieved its first win after promotion by defeating Al Wakrah 4-0, reaching four points in sixth place.
At the conclusion of the round, Al Duhail, fifth with 5 points, meets Al Shahaniya, eighth with 3 points.
