Al Duhail, Al Sadd set for a clash of the titans in Amir Cup semifinal; Al Arabi to face Al Markhiya today
A thrilling encounter is on the cards at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium as two of Qatar's leading clubs, Al Duhail and Al Sadd, go toe-to-toe in the semifinals of the 2020 Amir Cup football tournament tomorrow.
Al Arabi, on the other hand, will square up against surprise semi-finalists Al Markhiya in today's encounter.
This year’s tournament, the 48th edition of the prestigious annual event, is resuming with the last four matches, after a break in March when the quarter-finals were held, due to the COVID 19 pandemic that disrupted global sports.
Al Sadd, who have won the tournament a staggering 16 times, will have their work cut out for them as they go up against the defending champions and back-to-back winners, Al Duhail, who are one of the high scoring sides in this year’s competition. The Red Knights claimed a staggering 4-0 victory over Al Sailiya in the quarter-finals to set up the clash with the coach Xavi men.
Addressing a press conference yesterday, the newly-appointed Al Duhail’s coach Sabri Lamouchi said he knows what to expect from the clash.
"I know everything about the players and our rivals. I hope we deliver a good performance against Al Sadd. We lost to Al Sadd in the league, but that does not mean this is a revenge match. It will be a tough match for sure. There is no doubt about it."
He added that his team would need to be positive on the pitch and implement their plan to the letters if they are to beat a strong side like Al Sadd.
Reiterating his coach’s view, Al Duhail captain and key striker Moez Ali said the team would fight to get a much-needed win.
"This is a big tournament. We are the defending champions. We will fight to extend our status as champions. Yes, we are very ambitious,” Almoez said.
For Al Sadd, pride and honour are at stake as the side have of recent been on the losing side to the 2019-20 QNB Stars League champions in the competition.
The last time the two sides met at this stage of the competition two years ago, it was Al Duhail who ran away with the victory, piping The Foxes 1-0, as they went ahead to win the tournament for the first time (though Lekhwiya won in 2016 before they were merged with El Jaish to form Al Duhail).
The Red Knights went ahead to rub it in the faces of Al Sadd in last year’s final as they completely eviscerated the Xavi-led team, posting an emphatic 4-1 win to claim the title.
"The Amir Cup is a different competition. We are in the semifinals, and we consider this a final against a strong and difficult Al Duhail team. We have faced them a lot, and we will give our best, especially as they will look for revenge after losing to us last week in the league," legendary former Spain and Barcelona international, Xavi, said yesterday.
“It will be a tough match. We must play with a strong personality to win this tournament, which is dear to everyone in Qatar. Al Sadd players must focus and work on achieving their mission, which is to reach the final,” the Al Sadd coach added.
Xavi noted that his club's ambition is to win the title.
“We are Al Sadd, and we are one of the favourites to win the championship, and we are preparing to face another favourite, and we see this match as the final. We have to win to get the trophy that's most precious to the club, the players and the fans. We must play with all our strength and more, to achieve this title,” he said.
Meanwhile, Al Arabi, the second most successful team in the competition with eight titles, are leaving no stone unturned in a bid to ensure that the second division side, Al Markhiya, do not upset the apple cart in their quest for the final berth. The club last reached the final in 1994 where they were beaten 3-2 by Al Sadd.
“We will play with full force and will give our best to reach the final and keep our hopes alive for the Amir Cup trophy. It is possible to win the title and make our fans happy. We will do our best,” said Al Arabi coach Heimir Hallgrimson.
The Icelander noted that the lack of knowledge about Al Markhiya poses a challenge for his side in today's semifinal.
“We are dealing with this match like any other match, and our preparations are no different,” he added. “The only difference is that we do not know much about Al Markhiya. They’ve produced good results to reach the semifinals."
For Al Markhiya coach Omar Naji, believes his club’s good run in the competition will continue against Al Arabi with his team hoping to reach the final despite being the underdog.
"All the players are very enthusiastic about reaching the final. It's a golden chance for us to make history. Reaching the semifinal of this tough competition is a great achievement and players are confident of doing well in the semifinal also," he said at yesterday's press conference.
"Al Arabi are a good team in any circumstances. They have outstanding players, but at the same time, we also have good players and can do well against them," said Naji, who replaced coach Yunus Ali.
Al Arabi will be prosecuting today's match with five of their key players likely missing in action due to injury. While key forward Mohamed El Neel is out for a month, Hallgrimsson is hoping Sebastian Soria, Hamdi Harbaoui, Mehdi Torabi and Marc Martinez will be ready to face Al Markhiya in the all-important encounter.
The two matches kick off at 6 pm on both days. Limited tickets are available for purchase on the Qatar Football Association (QFA) website.
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