Al Wakrah and Al Arabi will lock horns in a strong Week 20 contest of the 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League at the Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Stadium of Al Wakrah club on Friday, April 5, 2024. The kick-off is at 9.30pm.

Al Wakrah are occupying the third spot in the rankings with 37 points (gained from 11 victories and four draws while suffering three defeats) amidst a strong chase by Al Rayyan, who are in fourth place, trailing by two points (35) and who will face Muaither in the same round.

Al Wakrah realize that a repeat of what happened in the first leg against Al Arabi, where The Blue Wave lost 1-2, may see them slip down from their current position in the standings, while Al Rayyan could jump to third place if they win against Muaither, the 11th-ranked side.

Al Wakrah succeeded in seizing a valuable victory over Qatar SC in the previous round rallying after being a goal down for a 5-1 victory, thanks to the brilliance of their Angolan star Jacinto Dala and Mohamed Benyettou, who both scored a brace.

Al Wakrah regained their winning form following a period of decline and have succeeded in achieving three successive wins since the loss to Al Rayyan in Week 16, to maintain their position in the third place.

As for Al Arabi, they are in fifth place with 23 points, garnered from five victories and eight draws while suffering five defeats. The Dream Team still have hope of moving upward in the rankings despite the fact that there are only four games remaining and there is difference of 12 points between them and Al Rayyan (in fourth place).

The match is also an important preparation for Al Arabi before they face Sharjah of the UAE in the Qatar-UAE Super Cup match, to be played on April 12 at the Al Thumama Stadium.

Therefore, the match against Al Wakrah for Al Arabi will be a strong indicator for their coach Younes Ali to determine the team’s form and fitness.

Al Arabi missed the efforts of Wassim Keddari after he was sent off in the last match, which they lost to Al Gharafa 0-1. But the coach would be counting on the rest of the players such as Yousef Msakni and Omar Al Somah to deliver the goods and achieve the three points to strengthen the team’s ranking in the fifth spot, which is being chased by a number of other teams as well.