Doha - Al Duhail coach Christophe Galtier wants his team to step up on their performance in the 2023-2024 Expo Stars League.

The defending champions, who are currently in the 7th place in standings with 18 points and only five wins from 14 games so far, play Al Markhiya in the Week 16 match on home turf at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium on Tuesday.

The seasoned French coach speaking on eve of his team’s match against Al Markhiya, said, “Before I talk about our next match against Al Markhiya, I must talk about the team’s previous matches, the most recent of which was against Al Gharafa. No one in the club is satisfied with what happened in our previous matches, and we must win the upcoming matches, and I, as the team’s coach, will take some measures and things that will benefit the team in the coming period.

“In the last match, we played an okay first half, but in the second half we conceded two goals and I waited for the players’ reaction, but we were not organized, which contributed to us not winning and apart from the tactics and organization on the field, the thing that bothered me was the lack of reaction. The lack of team personality. We are a big club aiming for the top, whether in the league or any other tournament. To achieve this, the players must have the personality they had previously, but many players do not have the fighting spirit, and I will change this mentality in the upcoming matches.

“Regarding our next match, no matter who the competitor is, whether at the top of the standings or at the bottom of the standings, we must change the team’s appearance and achieve victory and provide the performance we are known for throughout the match, because we always retreat in the second half, which causes us to lose points,” added Galtier.

Al Gharafa-Al Sadd in summit clash on Wednesday

Al Gharafa will meet Al Sadd in Week 16 clash of the 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League at the Thani Bin Jassim Stadium of Al Gharafa Club on Wednesday at 8pm.

Al Gharafa are second in the standings with 30 points from nine wins, three draws and two losses. So far, they have scored 38 goals and conceded 27 goals.

Al Sadd hold the top position with 35 points from 11 wins, two draws and one loss, having conceded only six goals and scored the most 41 goals in the league so far.

The first-leg match between the two sides saw Al Sadd beat Al Gharafa 4-0 at the Khalifa International Stadium.

Al Sadd will miss their Colombian player Mateus Uribe, who is recuperating from a hamstring injury.

Expo Stars League

Week 16 Fixtures

Tuesday: Al Duhail vs Al Markhiya At Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium (6pm); Umm Salal vs Al Shamal At Thani Bin Jassim Stadium (8pm); Muaither vs Al Ahli At Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium (8pm)

WednesdaycTypeface:> Qatar SC vs Al Arabi At Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium (6pm); Al Gharafa vs Al Sadd At Thani Bin Jassim Stadium (8pm); Al Rayyan vs Al Wakrah At Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium (8pm)

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