BY RIZWAN REHMAT

DOHA: For defending champions Lekhwiya and Doha giants Al Sadd the new Qatar Stars League (QSL) title chase won’t be a two-horse race in the next eight months.

At least that’s what a rejuvenated Al Rayyan camp says.

Al Rayyan who return to QSL after a year in the wilderness are keen to make up for lost time.

Nathan Ribeiro the Al Rayyan centre back yesterday issued a clear warning to rivals ahead of the first match of the new season today.

“‎I think we’ve had a difficult season. It was a tough season. But now we have a new coach we have a new spirit. New players. No excuses. We will fight for the title” Ribeiro said.

“We have good preparation. I think we can get a good result against Al Sailiyah” he added.

After playing in the Second Division for a year Al Rayyan have regrouped in double quick time bringing in highly reputable Jorge Fossati as coach.

The Uruguayan was roped in as coach at the end of June when it was announced that the 62-year-old will manage newly promoted Al Rayyan in the 2015-16 season.

Fossati the former Qatar national team coach and Al Sadd manager was soon joined by Espanyol star Sergio Garcia who also signed a two-year contract with Al Rayyan.

“We feel lucky we have Fossati. He has won everything in Qatar” assistant coach Julio Moreno said.

“He has so much experience. He has so much knowledge. He has made the team strong. We have a good local and foreign players. ‎We have to fight for each game” he added.

“The players are ready. We know everything about Al Sailiyah. We know about their quality. We know about their foreign players.

Lekhwiya striker Sebastian Soria also made the switch to Al Rayyan in the off-season.

“For me it is easy to play with him rather than playing against him” Riberio said with a smile.

“He is a fearful striker. He has everything to give us. We can fight for the title” he added.

“We need to expect a tough game. No easy games now. We respect Al Sailiyah. We know we are Al Rayyan. We know we have a responsibility. They have to respect us too” he said.

Sami Trabelsi-coached Al Sailiyah take on Al Rayyan knowing they have a tough game on their hands.

“Al Rayyan are coming from second division. They want to prove themselves” Trabelsi said.

“We can consider this as a derby. It is a first game of the season.

“We have to be careful” he added.

“We wish them well but after the first match. It is important to play this game to win. We had this feeling last year. We didn’t win the first game and we suffered a lot” Trabelsi 47 said.

“The game is important. I have played at Al Rayyan. For us it is a first step for us. All teams try to begin well” he added.

“What is good for us that we have four professionals. That’s good for us. It’s the same with others too. All compare us with other top sides like Al Rayyan El Jaish Al Sadd. They have more local players than us. We don’t have that many local players” Al Sailiyah coach added.

“I think the title race won’t be restricted to a few teams. The competition will be wide open. It won’t be only Lekhwiya or Al Sadd” he said..

Lekhwiya winners of the QSL title four times in the last five years will be eyeing another productive run. The QSL champions were coached by Michael Laudrup who has since left the club.

Former coach Djamel Belmadi is back as the manager but the pressure to deliver will be on Vladimir Weiss Nam Tae-Hee and Yousef Msakni.

Al Sadd who finished second behind Lekhwiya last season have roped in Barcelona legend Xavi for two years. Coached by Hussein Amute Al Sadd will be hoping to repeat their QSL title win in the 2012-13 season.

El Jaish who finished third last season will be hoping for a better finish and another dig at a top-four slot at the end of the new season that kicks off today.

Qatar SC who surprised fans with fourth-place finish last season take on Al Kharaitiyat today.

Qatar SC coach Radhi Shenaishil said: “I think that all teams have prepared well for this season by bringing in new coaches and new players - local and foreign. So we can expect a very strong league this year.”

He added: “The competition is open to all teams. I hope that our team will continue like last season. Kharaitiyat is a very organised team and this kind of game needs lots of concentration.”

THE PENINSULA