FROM LEFT: Al Gharafa’s Wesley Sneijder, Amro Abdullfattah Siraj and Vladimir Weiss celebrate a goal during their 4-0 win over Al Ahli in the QNB Stars League on Friday.
DOHA: Defending champions Al Gharafa face tough Qatar SC test in their opening match as the Qatar Stars League Management (QSLM) yesterday released the schedule of QSL Cup which will kick off from September 7.
Al Gharafa won the 2017 QSL Cup after edging out Al Rayyan 3-2 in the final at Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium following heroics from goalkeeper Qassim Burhan, who famously stopped a second-half penalty kick by feared striker Rodrigo Tabata to ensure title for ‘The Cheetahs’.
All the 12 QNB Stars League teams divided into two groups will battle out for the trophy. This year’s edition will see a change in format as the six-team group stage will be followed by quarter-finals instead of four teams directly qualifying for the semi-finals like the last season.
The Group A also include Al Duhail, Umm Salal and Al Arabi and Al Kharaitiyat apart from Al Gharafa and Qatar SC. The Group B comprises Al Sadd, Al Rayyan, Al Sailiya, Al Khor, Al Ahli and Al Shahania.
The opening day of the tournament will see Round 1 clashes in Group A while the Group B teams will be seen in action on the following day.
Before the Group A clash between Al Gharafa and Qatar SC at Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium on September 7, pre-event favourites Al Duhail will square off with Al Kharaitiyat at Abdulla Bin Khalifa Stadium while Umm Salal will take on Al Arabi in other match of the day.
Top Group B sides Al Sadd and Al Rayyan will open their campaigns on September 8.
Al Sadd will meet Al Shahania while Al Rayyan will take on Al Ahli in their first match. The other Group B match in Round 1 will be played between Al Sailiya and Al Khor.
The quarter-finals of the tournament will be played on January 18 and January 19, 2019 while the semi-finals will be held on January 25 and January 26. The final of the tournament will be played on February 22
