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Qatar champions Al Duhail seem to be badly missing Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga as they have been on a downward spiral since he suffered an injury at the start of December
Michael Olunga’s hamstring injury has exposed Al Duhail’s dependence on him as the club has now gone three games without a win since his setback.
Olunga suffered the injury shortly after scoring as they wrapped up their Asian Champions League campaign with a 2-1 win over Iranian side Persepolis on December 2 and since then, it has been downhill for the Qatari champions.
Al Duhail coach Christophe Galtier promised to find solutions in the wake of Olunga’s injury but it has so far proved difficult with his side suffering back-to-back defeats.
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14:36 - 08.12.2023
STARS ABROAD Al Duhail provide injury update about Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga
Olunga came off the bench to score a goal against Persepolis but had to be substituted again during stoppage time.
"We still suffer from absences, the most prominent of which is the team striker Michael Olunga… however, we will reach the appropriate formation for this match and choose the elements that will help the team achieve the desired result," said Galtier ahead of his side’s clash with Qatar SC on December 9, which ended 1-1.
Any hopes of righting those wrongs were extinguished when they suffered a 3-1 loss to 2021-22 champions Al Sadd last Wednesday and on Sunday, Al Duhail were beaten 3-2 at home by Al Wakrah.
In the absence of Olunga, Galtier has been chopping and changing up front, going with a twin attack of Ghana-born Qatari striker Mohammed Muntari and Amoez Ali against Qatar SC before the former was paired with Ismael Mohamed in the match with Al Sadd.
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12:42 - 09.12.2023
STARS ABROAD Al Duhail coach grapples with striking dilemma as Olunga faces extended absence
Al Duhail faces a striking dilemma with Michael Olunga's injury affecting their attack as fixture congestion looms large.
However, none of them found the target in the two games, forcing the coach into a tactical tweak again on Sunday, this time partnering Brazilian midfielder Philippe and Suhaib Gannan in attack.
Coutinho scored one of their two goals but the team still did not have enough to get over the line, suggesting just how important the Harambee Stars captain is to Al Duhail.
Before the injury, Olunga had scored 12 goals, eight in the league, and even though they have not got their title defence off to a flier, he has bailed them out when in trouble.
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22:00 - 09.12.2023
STARS ABROAD Kenyan forward's goal earns him Man-of-the-Match as St.Mirren overcome Ross County
The Harambee Stars forward netted his first goal since recovering from an ACL injury to help St.Mirren get back to winning ways on Saturday.
Al Duhail did not reveal the period Olunga will be on the sidelines but they will be hoping that it is not an extended spell as they are already 11 points behind league leaders Al Sadd after as many games, making their title defence a tall order.
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