The Peninsula
Title holders and one of the most successful sides in the history of Qatar Cup, Al Sadd will be looking shine once again when they take on Al Arabi while Al Duhail will try to make back-to-back finals with a win over Al Wakrah in the semi-final of the prestigious tournament today.
Al Sadd coach Juan Manuel Lillo will spare no effort in Wolves’ pursuit of their ninth Qatar Cup title, but today’s last-four clash against Al Arabi at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium has all the ingredients of a mouthwatering clash.
Al Sadd won back-to-back titles in 2020 and 2021, while Al Arabi are in the tournament for the first time since its relaunch as Qatar Cup in 2014.
Both Al Sadd and Al Arabi boast star-studded line-ups of players who can make a difference on the pitch.
Al Sadd’s impressive line-up is arguably the best in the tournament, with the likes of Algerian Baghdad Bounedjah, Qatar stars Akram Afif, Hassan Al Haydos as well as Spaniard Santi Cazorla and Brazilian Guilherme among others.
On the other hand, Al Arabi, who are currently enjoying a memorable QSL season, too are firing on all cylinders and will rely on stars Omar Al Somah, Yousef Msakni, Aron Gunnarsson, Helal Mohammed, Hamed Ismail and others. They also have Brazilian star Rafinha Alcantara.
Speaking during a pre-match press conference, Al Sadd coach Lillo said: “We are going into another tournament, and it will definitely be different from the league. We are facing an excellent and cohesive team, and we know this.”
“Al Arabi are doing well in the league and achieving positive results, and we know this very well. We beat Al Arabi in the league and we were at the height of our efforts, but this next match is different from the previous match. Al Arabi will present a better performance and we must be careful and we must perform better to overcome them.”
Al Arabi coach Younes Ali said his team is determined to make the final despite the challenge that they may face against Al Sadd.
“It will be an equal match and the team which is more focused and determined will have greater chances of winning and reaching the final. We need to focus and work hard to achieve that,” Ali said.
“Al Arabi have goals since last season and we are on the right path to reach these goals. The Qatar Cup matches have a special style. Al Sadd and Al Duhail have distinguished themselves from the rest of the teams in recent years and regardless of their stature, we are primarily concerned with our results and the strategy we would follow. It is our first goal.”
Meanwhile, Al Duhail face Al Wakrah in tomorrow’s second semi-final at the same venue at 7:45pm.
The Red Knights, the currently QNB stars League points leaders, are clear favourites against Al Wakrah today, having reached the final of Qatar Cup in the tournament’s last three editions. However, Al Wakrah who had scored a 4-2 win over Al Duhail in the league’s first leg of QSL, will be looking to impress when they make their return for the first time since the tournament was renamed in 2014.
Striker Michael Olunga, the joint top goal scorer in QSL, will spearhead Al Duhail attack. Forward Almoez Ali and midfielders Nam Tae-Hee, Ferjani Sassi and Luis Martin will add more power to the team while Khaled Mohammed, Yousef Ayman and Mohammed Musa will strengthen the defence.
Al Wakrah, on the other hand, will have their top scorer Jacinto Dala leading the front line, and will also depend on Mohamed Benyettou, captain Ahmed Fadhel and goalkeeper Saoud Al Khater to deliver the goods.
“We are happy and proud to participate in the tournament. This work is the continuation of the work of coach Luis Castro, the former coach of Al Duhail. Our goal is to reach the final and win the title and I am happy with what the team is doing in the league championship,” Al Duhail coach Hernan Crespo said during a press conference, yesterday.
Al Wakrah coach Marquez Lopez indicated his team’s confidence is high.
“Facing Al Duhail is important to us and we will work to do our best to win and qualify for the final, and we will try to improve ourselves. We accepted the loss to Al Duhail in the league championship and we seek improvement in the Qatar Cup match and a berth in the final.
“In the last four matches against Al Duhail, we won three and lost only one. This is excellent for us and we focus on the way the Al Duhail team plays and study it well to provide the best.”
Proceedings from ticket sales to help earthquake victims
Meanwhile, it was announced yesterday that the proceeds from ticket sales of Qatar Cup 2023 semi-finals will be allocated to support those affected by the deadly earthquake that occurred in Turkey and Syria.
The QSL also invited all fans to purchase tickets and attend the matches to support the initiative.