SPORT Thursday 27 September 2018 PAGE | 25 PAGE | 26 Vettel has Golf: Ryder nothing to fear Cup battle but plenty to do lines drawn TALKING POINTS AHEAD OF ROUND 7 Reigning champions Al Duhail open the QSL: Focus on defenders as week’s action against Al Ahli with only vic- tory in mind if they are to keep pace with leaders Al Sadd who meet Qatar SC in to- Al Duhail eye Al Ahli scalp day’s second match. Al Sadd top the table on better goal differ- RIZWAN REHMAT ence than Al Duhail as both have 13 points. Al Duhail’s Karim Boudiaf (right) celebrates THE PENINSULA with a team-mate after scoring against Iran's The Wolves have a goal difference of +24 Zob Ahan Esfahan FC in this file photo. compared to The Red Knights’ +12. DOHA: Defending champions Al Duhail are looking to plug the We do not have any gaps in the back-line as they problem in attack. Al Sadd and Al Duhail have played one take on Al Ahli in Round 7 of the We have outstanding match less as their Week 5 matches were QNB Stars League (QSL) today. players in the rescheduled due to their AFC Champions Al Duhail, the country’s League quarter-final fixtures. most formidable football outfit, midfield and attack. last week impressed with their The problem is when 4-2 win over Al Gharafa but we concede goals: In Week 6, Al Sadd put it across Al Rayyan in coach Nabil Maaloul yesterday Al Duhail coach Nabil the Qatar Clasico 5-0, whereas Al Duhail sought an improvement from defeated Al Gharafa 4-2. the defenders. Maaloul “We do not have any problem in attack. We have out- We had problems right from the Going by form and strength, Al Sadd and Al standing players in the midfield beginning, mainly in the form Duhail should get the better of Qatar SC and and attack. The problem is of injuries to players,” Macala Al Ahli respectively. when we concede goals,” added. Maaloul said at a pre-match “Striker Meshaal Abdulla and press conference yesterday. Barro Siddiqi cannot play this Qatar SC were held goalless by Al Khor and “We will try to rectify the match. Meshaal is not well and Al Ahli had lost to Al Sailiya 2-4 last week. Al mistakes made by our players,” Barro reported for training with Ahli are ninth with six points and Qatar SC the Tunisian coach added. “All goals that we conceded result against Al Ahli,” he added. after exiting the AFC Champions high temperature on Tuesday. so far were results of our own Al Ahli coach Milan Macala League in the quarter-final “Even though Barro is a fast 10th on four points. mistakes,” he added. yesterday said his side is stage. But they have depth in the player, he has not played a “We will try not to concede expecting a tough match. squad” Macala said. match fully. I hope he regains Al Gharafa, who were dropped from sixth to any goal against Al Ahli. I think “Every game is tough. “Of “Our preparations were dif- his fitness soon. winning by two goals without course, Al Duhail are a strong ficult. We have to adopt our “The way they beat Al seventh after losing to Al Duhail, will eye conceding any is better than side. They are at a disadvantage strategy from game to game. Gharafa playing with 10 men nothing less than three points against Al winning by five goals and con- (after Murad Naji saw the red Kharaitiyat who have yet to collect a point ceding two,” Maaloul said. card) was amazing. It will be and are precariously placed at rock bottom. TODAY Al Duhail coach said points very hard, but we hope we get 5:50pm: Al Ahli vs Al Duhail were key to his side aiming for Al Khor sign coach Casoni full points,” Macala said. at Al Ahli Stadium the QSL title. In another match, points Umm Salal, sixth with 10 points, target a “We respect our compet- THE PENINSULA leaders Al Sadd take on Qatar hat-trick of victories when they host Al 8:00pm: Qatar SC vs Al Sadd itors and we do not fear any SC on their home soil. Khor. at Qatar SC Stadium team. The most important thing DOHA: Al Khor signed French coach Bernard Casoni after Jesualdo Ferreira’s Al Sadd TOMORROW is we have to win all games if they had sacked Tunisian Adel Sellimi and put Under-23 coach team is fresh from a 5-0 rout of we are to be in strong con- Omar Najhi in charge. arch-rivals Al Rayyan in the Umm Salal are in good form having beaten 5:50pm: Al Gharafa vs Al tention for the QNB Stars Casoni signed the deal with Al Khor Sports Club President Qatar Clasico last week. Al Gharafa and Al Kharaitiyat in successive Kharaitiyat at Al Gharafa League title,” Maaloul said. Hassan Juma Al Mohannadi. Yesterday, Al Sadd wel- rounds even as Al Khor will look to stay The Tunisian added Al Casoni began his coaching career in 1999 with Olympique comed first-choice goalkeeper Stadium Duhail had limited time to prep Marseille. He was also at the helm of Club Africain and Etoile Saad Al Dosari back in training clear of the danger zone as they have only 8:00pm: Umm Salal vs Al up for today’s clash. du Sahel in Tunisia. after a short absence. two points and yet to record a victory. Khor at Al Gharafa Stadium “We had only a short time As a player, Casoni started off with French club Cannes Qatar SC, playing under to prepare for this game, so we in 1978. He also represented clubs like Marseille and the French caretaker coach Yousef Al Al Rayyan, who led the standings after SATURDAY focused on the players’ recovery national team. Noobi, will be looking to reverse Week 5 and then slipped to the fifth posi- 5:50pm: Al Rayyan vs Al as they put in extra efforts in the Al Khor will take on Umm Salal in Week 7 of the QNB Stars the losing trend. previous game against Al League at the Al Gharafa Stadium tomorrow. They have only In other games this week, tion with 11 points, play host to Al Shahania Shahania at Al Sadd Stadium Gharafa after the red card to two points and are 11th in the standings. Al Gharafa play Al Kharaitiyat, with an aim to bag three points, so they can 8:00pm: Al Arabi vs Al Sailiya Murad Naji,” he said. Al Khor had drawn goalless with Qatar SC in the previous Umm Salal take on Al Khor, Al stay on course for the title. at Al Arabi Stadium “However, we will give off round under caretaker coach Najhi. Rayyan face Al Shahaniya and our best to achieve a positive Al Arabi host Al Sailiya. Germany faces Turkey in Euro 2024 hosting vote AP MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS HOSTED BY GERMANY “The lack of an action plan in the area of human rights is a GENEVA: Germany is favoured Germany has a long history of hosting major sporting events, from the 1972 matter of concern,” UEFA said of Turkey expects ‘fair to beat Turkey in today’s 2024 Olympics to the World Cups of 1974 and 2006. That gives it an edge in terms of Turkey in its evaluation report. European Championship vote experience over Turkey, the other contender to host Euro 2024. STADIUMS after four years as front-runner Below are the main sporting events to have been held in Germany Both candidates offer 10 sta- evaluation’ for Euro in a campaign that explicitly since reunification in 1993: diums to play the 51-game, mixed soccer and politics. World athletics championships in Stuttgart month-long tournament. A study of the two candidates All 10 German venues are 2005 - Confederations Cup AA published by UEFA last week 2006 - World Cup already in use. Only Dusseldorf sports complexes in big cities boosted Germany’s case with 2009 - World athletics championships in Berlin was not used for the 12-stadium compared to other European Turkey falling short on an 2006 World Cup. ISTANBUL: Turkey met the countries, Erdogan said: “If 2011 - Women’s World Cup assessment of human rights, Both Berlin (70,000 capacity) required conditions to host UEFA would make an objective Other events - 11 World cycling championships which is a new factor of tour- and Munich (66,000) can host Euro 2024 and expects “fair evaluation, it could see these nament bidding. - Six men’s and three women’s world handball championships the final. They hosted Champions evaluation,” President Recep facts.” Still, Turkey put forward its - One women’s world basketball championship League finals in 2015 and 2012, Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday. On the Turkish-German strongest bid yet - backed by respectively. The UEFA Executive Com- footballer Mesut Ozil’s decision President Recep Tayyip Germany staged a popular 2006 Germany says it is a stable, Of Turkey’s proposed venues, mittee will meet in Nyon, Swit- to quit the German national Erdogan’s increasingly authori- World Cup and Euro 1988 as secure choice for UEFA and easy only Ankara is not in use after a zerland, today to decide on the team, Erdogan defended the tarian government - after losing West Germany before the Berlin for fans to access in the center of sweeping stadium building 2024 UEFA European Football footballer, saying: “Ozil didn’t contests to host Euro 2008, 2012 Wall came down.