Al Gharafa face Al Sadd in Week 14 of the 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League at the Al Gharafa Stadium on Wednesday. The kick-off is at 18:55.

The encounter is crucial to the progress of both the teams. Both Al Sadd and Al Gharafa are on 19 points but while Al Sadd are currently third in the rankings, Al Gharafa are fifth on goal difference after 12 matches while Al Sadd have so far played only 11 games.

In their last QNB Stars League match, Al Gharafa achieved a big 4-0 victory over Al Wakrah and would be eager to take on the defending champions.

Al Sadd are riding a crest of a wave having won four consecutive league games. They beat Umm Salal 2-0 in their last meeting. The Wolves have also made it to the Qatar Cup final after they rallied to beat Al Arabi 3-1 in their latest match.

The first leg match of the league between Al Sadd and Al Gharafa had ended in The Cheetahs’ favour 2-1. Al Gharafa would aim for an encore to keep up their fight to stay in the top four of the rankings.

The contest between Al Gharafa and Al Sadd is expected to be a tough battle which has often been the case.

Al Gharafa coach Pedro Martins will work to take advantage of the high morale of his team following their recent win over Al Wakrah. He would push his players to achieve a positive result, overcoming the challenge of the rivals.

He would look for his players to continue their good work, most notably: Yacine Brahimi, Farid Boulaya, Ishak Belfodil, Moayad Hassan and Homam Al Ameen among others.

On the other hand, Juan Manuel Lillo ‘Juanma’, the Al Sadd coach, will want his team to keep up the winning streak in which the team has been dominating with their attacking play.

Al Sadd rely on a distinguished group of players, including: Akram Afif, Hassan Al Haydos, Baghdad Bounedjah, Santi Cazorla, Rodrigo Tabata and others - who will have a big role in deciding the outcome of the match.