Al Sailiya players celebrate in this file photo.
It will be a repeat of last year’s Ooredoo Cup final when Al Sailiya take on Al Rayyan in this season’s semi-final at the Al Sadd Stadium today.
The reigning Ooredoo Cup champions, Al Sailiya, booked a place in the last-four stage after finishing at the top of the five-team Group B with 15 points with four wins and three draws while losing one game.
Blocking their path to back-to-back finals are the former champions Al Rayyan, who qualified for the semi-finals as the runners-up of Group A with 12 points from four wins.
Last year’s final saw The Peregrines clinch their maiden Ooredoo Cup title when they beat Al Rayyan 2-0 with the help of goals from Serigne Mbodji and Mohanad Ali.
Last Saturday, the Sami Trabelsi-coached side defeated Second Division runners-up Al Kharaitiyat 3-2 with a last-gasp goal in the QNB Stars League (QSL) Relegation Play-off and will be determined to turn things around after a relatively unsatisfactory season in the top plight.
On the other hand, Nicolas Cordova-coached Al Rayyan ended up in eighth spot in the League with 24 points.
With most of the national players being absent due to being part of the Qatar team in the international friendlies, today’s encounter will be equally challenging for both the teams.
The match kicks off at 8:00pm following the first semi-final, which will pit together fitting opponents Al Wakrah and Al Gharafa.
Al Wakrah made it to the semis by topping Group A with 18 points (six wins and two defeats) while Al Gharafa entered the last four as the runners-up of Group B with 11 points (three victories, as many defeats and two draws).
Al Wakrah had enjoyed one of their best seasons in the QSL in the recent years, having finished in the third spot while Al Gharafa missed out on the top-four finish and ended up in the fifth spot. Seven points separated the two teams in the QSL standings, with both of them competing for the top four spots from time to time throughout the season.
The last face-off between the two teams saw Al Gharafa defeating Al Wakrah 4-1 in the Amir Cup semi-final recently.
However, both teams will be without their international players who are on duty with the national teams, making the encounter an interesting contest which will give the opportunity for substitute players and youngsters to gain experience.
Andrea Stramaccioni–coached Al Gharafa are the most successful team in the Ooredoo Cup tournament history (3 titles) while Al Wakrah have won the title once, in 2011.
Stramaccioni had a bitter experience last Friday when they were thrashed 1-5 by Al Duhail in the Amir Cup final, but the Italian tactician – along with his men - will make every effort to advance against the Blue Waves in search of a place in the title clash - giving it a go at the season’s last domestic silverware.
