Lekhwiya coach Michael Laudrup (left).  Lekhwiya need to win only one of their remaining three matches to clinch the title for the fourth time in five years. PICTURES:  Noushad Thekkayil

By Sports Reporter/Doha

Lekhwiya are set to be crowned Qatar Stars League champions tomorrow when they take on lowly Al Shahaniya at the Abdulla bin Khalifa Stadium.
With 55 points in their kitty from 23 matches, they need to win only one of their remaining three matches to clinch the league title for the fourth time in five years.
The Michael Laudrup coached side would be reaping the rewards for their consistency, having left closest challenger Al Sadd way behind towards the final stages of the tournament.
Al Sadd, who were at one stage neck-and-neck with Lekhwiya, suffered a couple of uncharacteristic losses to hand over the advantage to the defending champions.
As a result the Wolves have 48 points from 23 matches. They can of course still win the title, but for that to happen they have to win their next three matches and hope Lekhwiya suffer three corresponding defeats.
That, however, is a highly unlikely scenario as Lekhwiya are scheduled to play weaker teams next, and Shahaniya being the 13th-placed team in the 14-team tournament with just 18 points from 23 matches, the result tomorrow is expected to be a formality.
 Lekhwiya will welcome back midfielder Vladimir Weiss who continued his good run of form with his national team Slovakia, scoring in his country’s 3-0 victory over Luxembourg.
The Red Knights have also been unbeaten in their last four matches in the league and Asian Champions League.  Al Shahania, on the other hand, are currently in the QSL relegation zone, and have lost their last three matches in the league. Last time they won three points was when they defeated Umm Salal 4-3 in a dramatic match at the start of March.
The Oryxes are now in a straight battle with Al Wakrah for the final relegation spot in the QSL with just three games remaining. They will be looking to the form of Argentine striker Luciano Vazquez, who scored a fantastic consolation goal for his side against El Jaish in round 23.
An unlikely win against Lekhwiya for Shahaniya would pull them out of the relegation zone, piling the pressure onto Al Wakrah who take on Qatar Sports Club later 8.15pm.
Meanwhile, El Jaish will be battling for pride after their title campaign was blown off course midway through the tournament. They will take on Al Shamal today, hoping to stay in contention for the third or fourth place that will help them qualify for the Cup tournaments.
It’s something coach Sabri finds hard to digest because the team were supposed to challenge the domination of Lekhwiya and Al Sadd when the tournament began.
 “For the match against Al Shamal, we perfectly know their status in the league, but we must focus on our goal in order to achieve the third position,” he said.
“The battle for fourth place doesn’t affect us. El Jaish is expected to compete for the title, third position is below our expectations.
 “We now have to focus now on the final league matches and finishing well then we move on to the Cup competitions.”
Al Shamal Head Coach Dragan Stojkovic was also not giving up the fight to avoid relegation.
“We will never give up and will fight through the remaining matches, these games will prepare the team for the coming Emir Cup fixtures,” said Stojkovic, whose team are last on the table with just one win from 23 matches.
“We can’t speak about our goals for the next season, now we are required to focus on the remaining matches in the league and the Emir Cup, after which we will be thinking about the future. We have at least four matches of this current season.”
He also chose to remain mum over the chances of retaining his job. “I can’t answer any queries regarding the renewal of my contract, simply because we are concentrating on the coming matches we are playing, most important of which is against Al Sadd. I have spoken with the players during the previous period demanding better performances.”