FOOTBALL | Page 2 RRUGBYUGBY | Page 8 Williams Lions will To Advertise here stuns Arsenal, be ready to Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 Leicester rumble in NZ, suff er again says Hansen Thursday, December 15, 2016 CRICKET Rabia 1 16, 1438 AH Amir set to GULF TIMES shape Test series in Australia SPORT Page 10 FOOTBALL QSL leaders El Jaish face tricky tie against Gharafa Sabri Lamouchi’s El Jaish have been the pace-setters this QSL season, having only lost once so far By Sports Reporter Doha he spotlight match in 12th round of the Qatar Stars League will see table-topping El Jaish take Ton Al Gharafa at the Lekhwiya stadium today. Sabri Lamouchi’s El Jaish have been the pace-setters this QSL season, hav- ing only lost once so far. But they lead the league by just one point with both Al Sadd and Lekhwiya snapping at their heels. Last time out, Jaish left it late to defeat Muaither 2-1 thanks to goals from Uzbekistan international Sardor Rash- idov. Indeed, Rashidov will have to be at his best if El Jaish are to win against Al Gharafa and the young winger will be eager to add to his tally of six goals this team. As for Al Gharafa, they had been the QSL’s form team having gone without defeat for eight matches before being up- set by Al Sailiya in the last round. Coach Pedro Caixina will now have to lift the spirits of his players and will see the tie against the league leaders as ideal moti- vation for his team. Caixinha will be also hoping that for- ward Vladimir Weiss can step up for his side. The Slovakian international has three goals from his last three QSL games and will be looking to punish an El Jaish File photo of El Jaish players celebrating their goal during their match side who could be without key defender against Lekhwiya. Unfortunately for them Lekhwiya won the match Lucas Mendes. thanks to an El Jaish own goal. Jaish coach Lamouchi is also looking forward to the break after the two up- we make a good performance. The last a quality of my players,” added the French a lot of determination. aiming for.” Speaking about his team’s in- we have history and you cannot buy that. coming games. ones against Muaither and Shahania they tactician at his press conference yester- “This year we have played better, with jury situation, Caixinha added, “We have “If we played so many games without “First game of two before the vacation don’t give you space and time and they day. more determination. This time last year seven players out with injury, El Jaish also losing it means we were doing a good job. and my players deserve the break be- are not easy teams to play against. Last Speaking about the team’s ambition we were losing points to the small teams have many injuries but on the day both This means that teams who are playing cause they have been working very hard. season we lost a lot of points to small and determination, Lamouchi added. but this year I’m happy with the players’ teams will have 11 players on the fi eld. you respect you more. We played El Jaish It’s a good team, they have good players teams and this season we are making sure “Our team is working at a rate of 150%. reaction.” We lost the last game but it’s important last season and the result was 2-2 and we and good midfi eld and it will be a tough this doesn’t happen. The players are giving more than they Al Gharafa coach Caixina is also tar- to note that we went more than 70 days played well. They don’t rely on posses- game,” he said. “We played with determination and can. After the AFC semi-fi nal we lost a lot geting three points. “We are going into without losing and that is because of the sion they rely on the counter and they can “When we play against a better team passion and we never give up and this is of energy but the players came back with this game to win and that’s what we are quality of the players. We are a big team, get you.” CRICKET Afridi to lead World XI against Qatar Stars By Sports Reporter Doha ricket fans in Qatar will be treated to some explosive action when Pakistan star CShahid Afridi leads a World XI against Qatar Stars in a Twenty20 match at the Asian Town Stadium to- morrow. Billed as the “Qatar Cricket Fiesta” the match features several current and former international stars from vari- ous countries, including South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs and Justin Kemp, England’s Graeme Onions and Paul Nixon, India’s Lakshmipathy Balaji and Yousuf Pathan, Pakistan’s Umar Akmal, Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Razzaq and Sri Lanka’s Farveez Maharoof and Chaminda Vaas. “We expect a crowd of 10,000 and most of the tickets for the match have been sold out,” Saqlain Rizvi, managing Kamran Khan (vice-captain of Qatar Stars), Iqbal Choudhry (captain of Qatar partner of Pro Events, the organisers of Stars), Mohamed Ikram Malazai (director, Today’s Fashions) and Sajjad Hussain the match, said yesterday. Choudhry (CEO Pro Events) pose with a Qatar Stars shirt at Wyndham Hotel Sajjad Hussain Choudhry, CEO of yesterday. Pro Events, who has played an active role in bringing the cricketers to Qatar, them will guide the local players, who confi rmed the sponsors of the match. said his vision is to promote and popu- can gain experience and become bet- Wyndham Hotel, Al Zaman Exchange larise the game in the country. ter cricketers,” Choudhry said at the and Mowasalat are among the main “These international stars, by shar- launch of the event last month. sponsors. The match is scheduled for a ing the dressing room and playing with Meanwhile, the organisers have 5pm start at Asian Town Stadium. Gulf Times 2 Thursday, December 15, 2016 FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT MOVING ON Bournemouth’s Howe targets Saints Williams stuns aft er downing Foxes Arsenal, Leicester suff er another loss ‘This was a good match though because we showed how we have to play — with Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe. commitment and aggression. You see the reaction of the crowd when you go for it’ Reuters come,” Howe told British me- London dia after the game. “For me, I’m always looking for more and to achieve the next goal, and that’s ournemouth manager to try to beat Southampton.” Eddie Howe is deter- Bournemouth are within mined not to let his touching distance of the Euro- Bplayers rest on their pean qualifying places and a win laurels as he focuses on secur- against 11th-placed Southamp- ing a victory against Southamp- ton, would reinforce their chal- ton this weekend after his side lenge for a Europa League place beat Premier League champions but Howe is not getting carried Leicester City on Tuesday. away just yet. Bournemouth host the Saints, “The club has come so far so their south-coast rivals, on Sun- quickly, sometimes it’s maybe day having provisionally climbed nice for others to sit back and en- into eighth place on 21 points by joy the position we’re in,” he said. beating Leicester 1-0 at home. “I’m not going to say Europe, I’m “We’re building nicely. The going to say I want to make the team is growing and getting bet- team better. I want to make the ter and there’s still a lot more to team stronger.” TIGHTENED PURSES Sunderland left with limited funds for January spending Reuters are not going to be able to spend London to get out of trouble,” Bain told British media. Ellis Short, who bought Sun- underland will be unable derland in 2008, is reportedly to signifi cantly strength- willing to sell the club for 170 en in January and man- million pounds ($215.25 million) ager David Moyes needs and despite the expected lack Sto rely primarily on the playing of investment, Bain insisted the Everton’s English-born Welsh defender Ashley Williams celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the English Premier League match between Everton and Arsenal. resources available to survive owner was not to blame. another Premier League relega- “We would listen to off ers. I AFP cause we showed how we have to play — Sanchez sent the free-kick curling past Cech from Barkley’s corner. tion battle, chief executive Mar- believe Ellis has the interests of London with commitment and aggression. You towards Everton goalkeeper Maarten Everton had Jagielka sent off after he tin Bain has said. the club at heart and he wouldn’t see the reaction of the crowd when you Stekelenburg and in seeking to clear the picked up a second yellow card, but the Despite securing three wins turn away anything that is ben- go for it and that’s what we did.” ball, Williams succeeded only in defl ect- hosts survived amid frantic late scenes in their last fi ve matches, Satur- efi cial to Sunderland,” he said. shley Williams’s 86th-minute Arsenal manager Wenger said the ing it into his own net. that saw Arsenal substitute Alex Iwobi day’s 3-0 loss at fellow strugglers “It would be a misconception header ended Arsenal’s 14-game game had been “very physical”. It was Sanchez’s 12th eff ort of the have a shot blocked on the line.