Al Gharafa face Al Rayyan in Week 11 of the 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League at the Al Gharafa Stadium on Tuesday, January 24, 2023. The kick-off is at 19:00.

The meeting between the two sides is expected to be a hot one, with fans of either teams egging them on, as they have always enjoyed the encounter and with the strengthened teams eager to prove their mettle.

While Al Gharafa are looking to climb up the table to move into the top four, Al Rayyan are seeking to improve their position - and as such both teams will be fighting for the three valuable points.

Al Gharafa fell to the sixth place in the standings after being in the top four,  suffering two consecutive losses against Al Duhail and Qatar SC, and have 12 points from three wins, draws and defeats each.

Portuguese coach Pedro Martins, who recently took charge of Al Gharafa, is still looking for the first victory to correct the course and not to be in more difficult situations in the weeks ahead.

The Cheetahs will also regain their striking force with the return of Amro Seraj, Homam Al Ameen and Ahmed Alaaeldin, who were away doing duties for the Qatar national team at the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup.

Suraj starred at the Gulf Cup scoring two goals - against Kuwait in the opening match and against Iraq in the semifinals.

With Surag and the excellence of Ahmed Alaaeldin and Homam, coach Martins will undoubtedly be counting on his team to return to form and wins.

On the other side, Al Rayyan’s Chilean coach Nicholas Cordova is well aware that his team’s 11th place with only four points is unacceptable to the fans, so they must produce a win, which is their only option.

Al Rayyan were impressive during the Qatar Clasico though they were edged 2-1 by Al Sadd. They would look to excel against Al Gharafa.

Tamim Mansour, who stood out for Al Annabi at the Gulf Cup, will bolster Al Rayyan’s attack. The team will also have the presence of attacking midfielder Nayef Al Hadrami.