A player from Al Khor aims to control the ball during their Emir Cup match against Al Markhiya at Abdulla Bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha yesterday.
DOHA: Qatargas League side Al Wakrah, having stunned QNB Stars League (QSL) side Qatar SC in the previous round of the Emir Cup, aim to carry forward their giant killing act a step further when they take on Al Arabi today at Al Arabi Stadium.
“Al Arabi is a difficult team - if you compare them by the QSL standards they are at the medium level, but tactically very good. We are well prepared, hoping for the best, it will not be easy,” said Al Wakrah coach Marquez Lopez, while talking to journalists on the eve of the match.
Having won against Qatar 3-2, after being down by two goals, has certainly given Lopez side a lot of ammunition on the motivational front and they aim to carry forward the form to the next match.
“We defeated a First division (QSL) side in the last match and we aim to defeat a second one, it is possible. The win against Qatar SC is good for the players, coaches, team and everybody associated with the club.
We have been training hard for the last three to four days and we are confident that we can pull up another surprise win,” said the Spanish tactician.
Lopez has called for more concentration by his defenders and not to commit mistakes.
“Our tactic is to keep more ball possession, it is not easy, in the last match it was possible. We require more concentration in the defense and not allow easy goals like we did in the last match,” he added.
The pressure will more on his opponents to deliver then on his club said Lopez.
“The pressure is on Al Arabi, they are favourities as they are a QSL side, the pressure is on them, but we will not relax.”
Meanwhile, Al Arabi coach Luka Bonacic said they are aiming to find a place in the final.
“We aim to win our first match against Al Wakrah and we are prepared to go all the way to the final. The Emir Cup matches are different from QSl,” Bonacic said.
“There is not much pressure but difficult to keep the players motivated,” he said.
The long gap between matches is not good for his team he said.
“The gap of three weeks, four weeks is not good, every four weeks one game. Football is not just coming to the play field and playing a match…. football means a lot of other things and off the field, we must make progressive training, calorie training and so on… without playing a game for a long period it is very difficult, but I assure my players are professional, I am a professional, club is professional, so we are ready for this game, although it is not a good schedule.”
“Playing at home against Al Wakrah will have its advantages,” Bonacic said.
“Al Wakrah has quality and a few good attacking players, usually Wakrah play physical football, but we are ready. We are hungry to go to the next round. Do not forget that we are playing on our home ground, that will certainly help us.
In the second match, Al Sailiyah take on Mesaimeer.
“Sailiyah his a very good team, with a very good coach. We will try to do our best, we know it is a difficult task, but we will try and qualify for the next round. We do not know except much but in one game anything is possible,” said Mesaimeer coach Dragan Tadic.
“In Cup games, like the Emir Cup, no one knows what is going to happen, so they are not taking any chances and are ready for the task. We believe that my players have the skills to deliver and they will rise to the occasion and give their best and make it to the next round,” he said.
Meanwhile, Al Sailiyah wish to prove a point by performing well in the Emir Cup.
“We want to show to the football loving crowd that Al Sailiya his a team which is not be taken lightly and its place is among the top four Qatar clubs,” said Al Sailiyah coach Sami Trabelsi.
