Al Duhail players during a training session yesterday.
Doha: Al Sadd are relishing a phenomenal domestic season but Al Duhail have kept the newly-crowned QNB Stars League (QSL) champions away from being “perfect”.
The Wolves defeated all their other opponents twice on their way to winning the second successive QSL title, but they were unable to tame The Red Knights in the recently-concluded season of Qatar’s top flight.
There were no winners when Al Sadd and Al Duhail clashed in the QSL as both their legs were drawn (3-3 and 1-1).
But, there will certainly be the winners this evening when the two Qatari football giants square off in the semi-final of the landmark 50th edition of the prestigious Amir Cup at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium at 7:45pm.
Both the teams have best national and international players, and today’s clash – worthy of a final – is expected to produce exciting action.
“We know that facing Al Duhail in the Amir Cup will be special,” Al Sadd coach Javi Gracia told a pre-match press conference yesterday.
“This is a very special tournament, which is the most important one for the fans and of course for us as coaching staff and players. We all have the real ambition that will lead us to the final match,” he added.
Gracia said the players were well prepared for the tough match despite a hectic schedule.
“We were tied in the two matches and this match is going to be exciting. We have to win this match if we want to qualify for the final, which is our target,” he said.
Al Sadd are the two-time defending champions and are favourites to seal hat-trick of Amir Cup titles. They have won the prestigious title a record 18 times.
Al Sadd’s Spanish star Santi Cazorla, who clinched the trophy twice, said he would love to win the Amir Cup for the third time.
“This is a completely a different tournament. I am happy that I won the Amir Cup twice, and I know the importance of the tournament for the fans, and winning it again will be a special occasion for me,” said the midfielder.
“We are one team and our goal is to win the 2022 Amir Cup also,” he added.
Clockwise from top left: Al Sadd coach Javi Gracia; Al Duhail coach Luis Castro; Al Gharafa coach Andrea Stramaccioni and Al Wakrah coach Marquez Lopez
Al Duhail won their last Amir Cup title in 2019, and their coach Luis Castro said his team has the potential to regain the title. However, the Portuguese coach said the players must remain focused in the semi-final against Al Sadd.
“It will be a very tough match,” Castro told reporters yesterday.
“We had two drawn matches [against Al Sadd] but this is a different event and we are confident. We respect Al Sadd, who are the QSL champions – a title which they deserve. But we want to win and reach the final,” he added.
“In the previous two matches against Al Sadd, we made mistakes and we must avoid them in this big match,” he added.
Al Duhail’s Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld was expecting a tough challenge against Al Sadd’s attack, led by Qatar star Akram Afif, in the semi-final.
“There will be tremendous work for the Al Duhail defence to stop Al Sadd’s attackers. We are good at dealing with big players, and our role as defenders will be to help our attack in getting the desired result,” he said.
Meanwhile, the first semi-final today, kicking off at 5pm at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, will pit Al Wakrah and Al Gharafa.
Marquez Lopez-coached Al Wakrah finished third in the QSL after an impressive season. They won both their legs against Al Gharafa, who finished 5th in the league.
But Lopez, who is at the helm for three seasons, said his main target has always been the Amir Cup crown.
“Our main aim was to reach this stage and win the Amir Cup. We have to win against Al Gharafa to book a place in the final. All our focus in on the Amir Cup and we are looking forward to a strong show,” said Lopez.
Al Gharafa coach Andrea Stramaccioni, meanwhile, said his team was ready for the important match, hoping for turnaround against Al Wakrah.
“We lost against Al Wakrah in the two league matches, but I am confident in my team’s ability to win. We have worked hard to prepare the players for this big game.
We have to be focused and avoid mistakes,” said the Italian coach.
“There are no favourites as both teams will have equal chance to win the semi-final,” Stramaccioni added.
The final of the Amir Cup is scheduled to be held at the Khalifa International Stadium on March 18.
Amir Cup semi-finals
Al Gharafa vs Al Wakrah
At Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium (5:00pm)
Al Sadd vs Al Duhail
At Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium (7:45pm)
