Doha: Al Sailiya will be targeting back-to-back Ooredoo Cup titles when they take on in-form Al Wakrah in the final at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, today.
The reigning champions, coached by Tunisian Sami Trabelsi, produced enthralling performance to beat former title-winners Al Rayyan 3-2 in the semi-final.
Al Wakrah, who finished in third place at the QNB Stars League, stormed into the final after defeating Al Gharafa 5-3.
Al Sailiya, who barely survived relegation from QSL, are hoping for a strong finish to the season by retaining the Ooredoo Cup title.
“We will do everything possible to win the championship,” coach Trabelsi told a press conference yesterday.
“The season was very difficult, during which we faced many challenges, the most prominent of which was playing the Play-Off match. But with the efforts of players, we were able to survive in the First Division, he added.
Trabelsi knows what Al Wakrah are capable of and admitted that Blue Waves pose a tough challenge after enjoying an impressive QSL season.
“Al Wakrah are one of the best teams this season, so the match will be difficult for both teams, but we have determination to win the title. All main players are ready for the match, especially since the championship comes at the end of the season, and there is only the QFA Cup left,” the Tunisian said.
Al Sailiya’s Moroccan midfielder Driss Fettouhi said his team is well aware of the importance of the match and all players have the determination to win the tournament again.
“Despite the great pressure on the players in the past period due to the difficult conditions we went through, we are on top of readiness to finish the season the best way by winning a title. We will do our best to finish the season by winning another cup,” the Moroccan international said.
Meanwhile, Al Wakrah - coached by Marquez Lopez - is hoping for their second Ooredoo Cup triumph.
“We played the semi-finals this season and won, and we’re now in the final. It is important for us to crown our efforts throughout the season with a championship after the great efforts we have made, and we hope that we will be successful and win the title,” said Lopez.
Al Wakrah won their maiden title in 2011 after defeating Al Kharitiyat SC 10–9 in a thrilling shootout.
Lopez will miss the services of few players due to their international commitments, but he said the team will be ready for the challenge.
“We will miss four players due to their national-team duty, but we have 20 other players ready, and I will try to push the best players to win because the match will not be easy at all. All of our players are ready to give off their best,” he said.
“We respect them because they are a good team as is evident from their appearance in the final. They have a strong team. We will do our best to win the title,” said Lopez.
The final kicks off at 6:30pm.
