Al Gharafa players with the Qatar Cup winners trophy.
Reigning QNB Stars League title holders Al Duhail will be targeting back-to-back final appearances in the Qatar Cup when they take on Al Gharafa in a blockbuster semi-final today.
The high profile clash will kick off at 7:45pm at Al Duhail Stadium.
Al Duhail, in their recent outing at the FIFA Club World Cup clinched 5th position after beating Asian champions Ulsan Hyundai in play-off.
Coach Sabri Lamouchi’s men are coming off from a morale-boosting 2-0 win over heavyweights Al Rayyan in last week’s QSL clash, but the French tactician is aware of Al Gharafa’s capabilities despite the latter’s 0-1 loss at the hands of Al Sailiya few days ago.
“This is our first Cup competition after our participation in the FIFA Club World Cup. We’re expected to do well and reach the final of the Qatar Cup. This is an important assignment and we’re looking forward to winning it. In order to achieve this, we’ve to be on top of our game and focus,” the Frenchman who took charge of the Qatari giants earlier this season, said.
“We must be at the required level to overcome Al Gharafa challenge. Everyone wants to win this championship and everyone has the desire to lift the cup. We must not rush or deal emotionally because we’ve strong matches in front of us. Al Gharafa are difficult rivals. They’re currently going through a crucial period, so we’ve to be at our best,” Lamouchi said during a press conference on the eve of the last-four clash.
“We’ve competent players and I’m constantly trying to change some things. I know that Al Duhail always play for titles and this is what we’ll work to achieve in this tournament also. We won’t look beyond this match for now because it’s a very difficult game,” He said.
However, in today’s match, Al Duhail will miss the services of three of their key players, Karim Boudiaf, Luis Martin Junior and Medhi Benatia due to injury concerns.
They still have got plenty of arsenal in their ranks, including the AFC Asian Cup hero Almoez Ali and his Qatari team-mates Bassam Al Rawi, Ismaeel Mohammed, Belgian Paulo Edmilson Junior and Brazilian defender Eduardo Rodriguez (Dudu) among others.
Qatari striker Ismaeel named today’s encounter as a “final before the final” and added that Al Duhail’s ambition is to clinch one or two titles every season.
“The Al Gharafa match is very difficult. You can say it’s a final before the final. I hope we succeed in winning this match and reach the final. Al Duhail’s ambition every season is to win one or two championships. After losing ground in the league, our team is now fully focused on achieving the best results. The team is ready, both physically and mentally, for the next match, and we’ll do our best to win the title.
Meanwhile, Al Gharafa coach Slavisa Jokanovic sees today’s semi-final as an “opportunity to reach the final and be crowned champions.”
“Facing Al Duhail in the 2021 Qatar Cup semi-final will be exciting. It’s an opportunity to reach the final of the tournament and be crowned the champions. Al Duhail have made a strong comeback recently, therefore playing against them won’t be easy at all,” the Serbian coach said.
The former Fulham FC manager said this is a perfect opportunity to stage a comeback following their defeat against Al Sailiya.
“Although we weren’t at our best level in the last match against Al Sailiya in the league, this match is a good opportunity to compensate for that poor show and provide better results and qualify for the final,” Jokanovic said, adding that the situation is different in the Al Duhail match.
“It’s a completely different tournament from the League. Our goal during the match will be to restrict Al Duhail and take advantage of their weaknesses in order to get a good result in our favour.
