Umm Salal face Al Wakrah in Week 18 of the 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League at the Thani Bin Jassim Stadium of Al Gharafa club on Saturday, March 16, 2024. The kick-off is at 9.30pm.

The meeting marks an important turning point in the league journey of the two teams – with Al Wakrah looking to continue with wins, having defeated Al Duhail in the previous round, and for Umm Salal to move forward in the standings.

Umm Salal are currently in sixth place with 20 points, while Al Wakrah are fourth with 31 points.

The match will witness a fierce struggle for the valuable three points by the two teams and each of them would be considering their respective placings and calculations. Both sides have made a strong showing in the previous rounds and achieved good gains. Umm Salal had played out a 2-2 with Al Rayyan.

Umm Salal would want to regain their winning touch and advance in the standings, while Al Wakrah, coming from a win, will look to strengthen their position.

Umm Salal coach Patrice Carteron will aim to gain from the good morale of his team and push his players to play strongly against The Blue Wave and get the win. The Orange Fortress will, however, be missing their striker Oussama Tannane after he received a red card in the match against Al Rayyan.

As for Al Wakrah, they will be motivated to continue their winning run after beating Al Duhail and look for continuity and progress in the standings given the small difference in points with the teams ahead of them (Al Gharafa are second with 34 points and Al Rayyan are third with 32 points).

Al Wakrah coach Jose Murcia will also seek to take advantage of his players’ good spirit following their recent win and hope to continue their journey in the league and reach 34 points.

It is certain that each team will strive to seize the three valuable points to achieve their goals and aspirations.