Win over Al Rayyan can push us towards title, says Tae-Hee

Doha: Al Duhail midfielder Nam Tae-Hee says that a win over Al Rayyan in the Week 14 encounter will be a big step towards winning the QNB Stars League (QSL) title.
Leaders Al Duhail will be eager to maintain their unbeaten run and take a giant leap forward in their pursuit of QSL title when they take on Al Rayyan in a crunch match of the week.
The two teams meet on Janaury 27 at Duhail Stadium with Al Rayyan aiming to leapfrog Al Sadd and cut the gap with leaders Al Duhail.
 All these factors will make it a keen contest and a treat for the fans. Obviously, a lot is at stake for the sides.
“It’ll be tough for both sides. We’ll attempt to play our natural game. We’ve been putting up good performances this season and we want to keep winning. This match is crucial because the difference between us and Al Rayyan now is only four points, which can be raised to seven,” said Tae-Hee. “If we beat Al Rayyan, then it’ll be a huge step towards the title. Al Duhail are the best team in Qatar. We’ll try to keep up the reputation of Qatar football while playing in the AFC Champions League,” the Korean added.
Tae-Hee listed Al Sadd and Al Rayyan, along with Al Duhail as the contenders for the league title.
In the first phased,  Al Duhail  down Al Rayyan 5-3 in the first phase, but Tae-Hee ruled out a repeat of the resounding win.
“In that match, we played very well in the first half, but didn’t have a great second session and that made things difficult for ourselves. It’s hard to predict the result as both sides have top players in their ranks. I believe even small details play crucial roles in matches like this,” Tae-Hee added.
Al Duhail are in outstanding form right from the start of this season and top the standings with 35 points, while Al Rayyan have not been found wanting and are placed third. The Lions are on 31 points, the same as Al Sadd but behind on goal difference.
Both Al Duhail and Al Rayyan are coming off victories, against Al Arabi (1-0) and Al Kharaitiyat (4-2) respectively.
For a change, Al Duhail’s big guns failed to fire and coach Djamel Belmadi attributed it to players’ fatigue as they have also been preparing for the AFC Champions League games.
“Our performance wasn’t at the top level as a number of players weren’t in their usual self,” said Belmadi.
Al Duhail have the best goal difference among all teams. The Red Knights have the tournament’s top two scorers in Youssef El Arabi (19 goals) and Youssef Msakni (11), whereas Al Rayyan have the next two best scorers — Rodrigo Tabata (10) and Abderrazaq Hamdallah (nine).
Al Duhail playmaker Nam and Al Rayyan striker Sebastian Soria are also there in the list with seven goals each.