LEFT: Al Sadd's coach, Xavi Hernandez; RIGHT: Al Duhail's coach, Sabri Lamouchi
Reigning champions Al Sadd and QNB Stars League (QSL) winners Al Duhail will face off in the Qatar Cup final today, promising thrilling action in a battle of arch-rivals seeking first silverware of the on-going football season.
The match of the heavyweights is expected to produce an electrifying contest at Al Duhail Stadium, with kick off set for 4:45pm. Although seven-time champions Al Sadd – who dethroned Al Duhail with a 4-0 thrashing in last year’s final – are favourites in the title clash, Al Duhail are rated among the only few sides which have the potential to bring an end to Al Sadd’s unbeaten run this season. The Wolves under coach Xavi Hernandez are in outstanding form, with only one victory separating them from the QSL title.
They have 47 points, 13 points ahead of second-placed Al Duhail, with five rounds to spare. But the QSL record will countless in today’s final and the team with more composed effort in the crunch tie is likely to get an upper hand. However, Xavi, whose side won a QSL thriller against Al Arabi on Monday after stoppage-time goal by Santiago Cazorla, is confident of a victory against The Red Knights. “Al Duhail are one of the best teams in Qatar.
Both teams have very high level players and from my point of view, Al Sadd are better than Al Duhail,” Al Sadd coach said at a pre-final press conference yesterday. “We are also stronger even though Al Duhail are one of the best teams in Asia and recently signed professional players of the highest level. We are at our best. We are at the top of our physical conditioning,” he added.
Despite the absence of star striker Akram Afif – serving a two-match ban – Al Sadd have enough firepower with the likes of Baghdad Bounedjah, Cazorla, Rodrigo Tabata and Nam Tae-Hee still available. Coached by Sabri Lamouchi, Al Duhail possess top stars in Almoez Ali, Michael Olunga, Eduardo Rodrigues ‘Dudu and Paulo Edmilson, and the Frenchman believes by avoiding mistakes, The Red Knights can beat Al Sadd. “The two teams are undoubtedly looking forward to winning the title. Both teams are among the best in Qatar. We must work to avoid mistakes and pay attention to details to achieve the desired goal, which is winning the Qatar Cup,” Lamouchi said yesterday.
“The strength of Al Sadd in the recent matches cannot be denied. But I have told my players to focus more in order to achieve victory,” he added. Both the teams reached the final after hard-fought wins in the semi-finals. Al Duhail edged Al Gharafa 2-1 while Al Sadd overcame Al Rayyan 1-0. In case of a tie in 90 minutes, the winners will be decided through penalties as there will be no extra-time in the game. “I think going directly to penalties in case of a tie (in regular time) is very good. This helps players avoid suffering from fatigue especially when there is pressure of playing many matches,” said Lamouchi. Al Duhail’s last Qatar Cup triumph came in 2018 when they beat Al Sadd 2-1 in the final.
