Defiant Zidane Urges Real to Come out Fighting Against Barca
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FFOOTBALLOOTBALL | Page 2 GOLF | Page 7 Chelsea will Munoz grabs take Man Utd PGA lead as on face value: Tiger struggles Lampard with 76 Saturday, October 24, 2020 CYCLING Rabia I 7, 1442 AH Cerny wins as rain GULF TIMES and protest sees 130km cut from Giro SPORT Page 4 FOOTBALL / LA LIGA FOOTBALL / QNB STARS LEAGUE Defi ant Zidane urges Injury-hit Arabi take Real to come out on Wakrah fi ghting against Barca today By Sports Reporter as they remained on six points. Doha Wakrah had stunned holders Al Madrid are under pressure after consecutive defeats to Cadiz and Shakhtar Duhail in Week 2, with The Blue Wave under Spaniard Marquez Agencies uoyed by their fi rst vic- Lopez carrying on from where Madrid, Spain tory of the season, Al they left last season, where they Arabi will look to keep fi nished sixth. the momentum going Lopez said short turnaround inedine Zidane says he Bwhen they take on Al Wakrah in between matches has made it has the full support of the QNB Stars League at the Qa- diffi cult for his side to prepare. Real Madrid president tar SC Stadium today. “We have prepared in the best Florentino Perez and has Arabi were languishing at 11th possible way under the current Zcalled on his players to turn their in the table before last week’s 2-1 circumstances. We only had two season around by beating Barce- win over Umm Salal. They are days to train and, before that, two lona today. now seventh in the standings and days of recovery. Of course, this Madrid and their coach head their coach Heimir Hallgrimsson is not an easy job. We stopped to Camp Nou under pressure af- says their fi rst win of the season for a month and now we play two ter consecutive defeats to Cadiz has given them a much needed games in fi ve days, which is not in La Liga and Shakhtar Donetsk boost. But injuries to key players easy,” he said. in the Champions League. such as Mohamed Salah El Neel, In another match today, Qa- Asked yesterday if he still Hamdi Harbaoui, Sebastian So- tar SC host Umm Salal. Qatar SC feels the backing of the club and ria and Mahdi Torabi will make it are in 10th position with three president, Zidane said: “Yes, a tricky contest for Arabi against points that they collected from from everyone. I have won many Wakrah. their victory over last season’s things with these players and “Winning the last match will runners-up Al Rayyan in Week 3. I will always be with them to give us a boost against Wak- The Kings, coached by former the death. I will always be with rah,” said Hallgrimsson yester- Qatar international midfi elder them. day. “The team’s preparations Younis Ali, went down fi ght- “But we have to change our for the Wakrah match was good. ing 1-2 to reigning champions momentum, we have had two They are a good team that pos- Al Duhail last week, a result that diffi cult games, and that’s what sesses the ball well. They have saw them slip by two places in this is all about. There are always outstanding players, so we must the table. They had previously bad moments but there are those have 11 players on the fi eld ready lost 0-2 to Al Gharafa and 1-2 to teams in those moments that to fi ght for the team. We want Al Kharaitiyat. show their character and quality. to win the match and we have to After four rounds of action, We have to do that tomorrow.” Real Madrid’s coach Zinedine Zidane and Barcelona’s Dutch coach Ronald Koeman (right). (AFP) do everything we can to win the Umm Salal stay at the rock bot- Zidane said Sergio Ramos will match, but we also have to be tom of the table with only one be available to face Barcelona af- celona coach. good to discuss his role for every smart in our choice,” he added. point which they earned from ter recovering from the knee in- “Maybe in the last couple of game.” Pique lays into Barca over Messi Hallgrimsson confi rmed few their goalless draw with Al Khor jury that kept him out of the loss weeks Madrid haven’t been at Koeman will welcome back players will be missing from the in Week 2. The Orange Fortress to Shakhtar on Wednesday. their level but this doesn’t mean Jordi Alba for the visit of Real, Reuters “I ask myself: How can it be that line-up today, including infl uen- had lost 0-3 to Al Duhail in their “Sergio is our captain, our that they are a bad team. but will still be without fi rst- Madrid, Spain the best-ever player to have tial winger El Neel, who is out for opener and then 0-2 to Al Wak- leader,” said Zidane. “He’s re- “They are a big team, with choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre played the game, who we have six weeks. “We have more than rah in Week 3 and 1-2 to Al Arabi covered, he’s going to be with experienced players, who know ter Stegen and defender Samuel been lucky enough to enjoy, one player who will be absent last week. us. It’s about being one hundred how to cope with the pressure, Umtiti. The 57-year-old Koe- arcelona defender Ger- wakes up one day and sends from the Al Wakrah match, such Umm Salal, under the tutelage % though and I think that Sergio and they will want more than man played in 14 Clasicos while ard Pique has torn into a Burofax (recorded delivery as Mohamed Salah El Neel, who of their former player Aziz Ben is already there.” anyone to win this match after at Barca, but admitted it was Bthe club over their han- mail) because he feels like he’s will be absent for six weeks, in Askar from Morocco, will be keen Barcelona are also coming their two defeats.” a new feeling going into it as dling of the Lionel Messi con- not being listened to?” Pique addition to Hamdi Harbaoui, Se- not to leave it late this time, like into the Clasico on the back of “I don’t expect a vulnerable coach. tract situation, which resulted told La Vanguardia newspaper. bastian Soria and Mahdi Torabi, they did last season when they a loss in the league, although Madrid, I expect the opposite,” “Hopefully I’ll sleep alright! in the forward attempting to “It’s all too confrontational. and we do not know the period of managed to fi nish 10th after be- they responded to the 1-0 defeat Koeman added. Of course it’s diff erent, the best leave in the close-season. What’s going on? Messi their absence so far,” said Hall- ing on the brink of relegation. by Getafe last weekend by win- There are doubts over Anto- thing would be going out there The criticism comes two days deserves everything; the new grimsson. Meanwhile, a Super Sunday ning 5-1 at home to Ferencvaros ine Griezmann, who stayed on on the pitch, but my playing after the 33-year-old Pique stadium should be named Wakrah, on the other hand, is in store as surprise leaders Al on Tuesday in the Champions the bench for Barca’s victory in days are behind me,” he said. signed a new three-year deal after him first and then the went down from third to sixth Ahli face Al Sadd, before reign- League. midweek. “So the next best thing is to at Barca, with a vote of no sponsor. We should preserve place in the standings after their ing champions Al Duhail take on “In theory, both teams are un- It was not clear whether the be as close to the pitch as pos- confidence against the board our figureheads, not underap- 0-1 loss to Al Rayyan last week Al Rayyan. der a lot of pressure,” said Ron- Frenchman had been dropped sible. We know it’s an important led by Josep Bartomeu also preciate them. It really gets ald Koeman, who will be taking or rested. “He has a chance to match but I’m used to that kind imminent. to me.” charge of his fi rst Clasico as Bar- play,” said Koeman. “But it’s not of pressure.” HORSE RACING Mohamed al-Attiyah’s Al Shaamikh stays unbeaten Agencies spoils and stay unbeaten with a two-and-a-half lengths. Patsy Wolverhampton, United Kingdom fi ve-and-a-half length victory. Fagan was the runner-up for Dergham Athbah was second trainer Richard Fahey and jockey for trainer Philip Collington and Barry McHugh. Hemmsa, half- he Qatar-bred Al jockey Robbie Downey. Loolwa sister to the winner, was further Shaamikh made it two was a further half-length back three lengths behind in third for from two at Wolver- in third for the same trainer of trainer T J Kent and jockey Ray hampton on Thursday the runner-up and jockey Jim Dawson. Twhen winning the Emirates Crowley. Khabib is trained by George Breeders Novice Stakes for his Scott in Newmarket. owner and breeder Mohamed AL RABBAN RACING HAS A The bay gelding and the fi lly bin Fahad al-Attiyah. NEW WINNER IN KHABIB placed third in this race are by In scoring his back-to-back Later in the evening, in the col- this year’s breakout star sire win, the three-year-old colt ours of Al Rabban Racing, Kha- Mehmas.