DOHA: Qatar’s football giants Al Duhail will be hoping to get their hands on the Sheikh Jassim Cup when they take on Al Rayyan at the Al Sadd Stadium today.
Al Duhail lost to Al Sadd in last year’s encounter but later went on to clinch a trophy treble to dominate the football scene in Qatar.
Brazilian defender Lucas Mendez, while addressing a pre-match press conference at the Al Sadd Stadium yesterday, said Al Duhail are looking forward to asserting early dominance but are also aware of the threat that Al Rayyan could pose.
“Our ambition is big. The team has to continue the special appearance this season and work hard to retain the titles we won during the last season,” Mendez, 28, said.
“Our confrontation against Al Rayyan will be a real test before the beginning of the QNB Stars League (QSL),” Mendez added.
“We are taking on a strong outfit and we know the strength of Al Rayyan. We also know their special performance and the abilities of their key players. However, we would not be satisfied by anything other than the Sheikh Jassim Cup title this time because we lost the same title last season,” Mendez, who has been competing in Qatar since 2014, added.
Al Duhail, under their new Tunisian coach, Nabil Maaloul, will be hoping to fire on all cylinders against the Abdulrahman Karbi-led Al Rayyan at the air-conditioned state-of-the-art venue this evening.
Winners of the Qatar League title six times in the last few years, Al Duhail are also going great guns in the AFC Champions League, having reached the knock-out stage unbeaten.
“Now we are in a new season and we want to prove our abilities. Wining the Sheikh Jassim Cup will be the perfect start,” the Red Knights’ captain said.
