Al Sadd's coach Xavi with players during a training session.
The semi-finals of the Ooredoo Cup will be played today promising thrilling action in front of a limited number of fans as teams are eyeing strong performance to book place in the final.
Al Rayyan face Al Arabi in the first semi-final at the Al Sadd Stadium with the game starting at 4pm, while Al Sadd will take on Al Ahli in the second semi-final of 2019-20 at the same venue. The match will kick off at 7pm.
The Qatar Stars League has allowed fans for the games as per the precautionary measures followed during the QNB Stars League (QSL) matches to ensure the safety and security of everyone involved.
In the first semi-final, Al Rayyan will leave no stone unturned in their bid to clinch a silverware this season as they had exited in the quarter-finals of Amir Cup (beaten 1-0 by Al Markhiya) and finished as runners-up, behind Al Duhail, in the recently-concluded QSL.
The Lions lost out to The Red Knights by one point in the fiercely-competed league championship that went down to the wire and where champions were decided after the last round.
Al Arabi, meanwhile, too will be eager to win and made it to the final, having ended up outside the top-four bracket in the QSL. The Dream Team could bag only the seventh place in the league.
Al Rayyan and Al Arabi are the clubs with the most traditional fan base in Qatar, so the contest will evoke keen interest among them.
Al Rayyan made it to the semi-finals by defeating Al Khor 7-6 in the quarter-finals. The match was decided in sudden death after the score was tied 1-1 in regular time and 5-5 in tie-breaker. Al Arabi qualified for the last-four stage by defeating Al Wakrah 1-0.
Strong contest is on cards in the second semi-final also as Al Ahli are capable of giving Al Sadd a good run for their money.
Al Ahli had defeated Al Sadd by a 4-3 margin when they faced off in the group stage (Round 3) of Ooredoo Cup on November 23, 2019.
Al Sadd, who had won the season-opening Sheikh Jassim Cup by defeating Al Duhail, had finished third, behind Al Duhail and Al Rayyan, in the QSL. The Wolves are one of the strong contenders to clinch the Ooredoo Cup.
Al Ahli, meanwhile, could end up only in the ninth position in the league. The Brigadiers will also be keen to go all the way and have the last laugh.
Al Ahli advanced to the semi-finals by defeating reigning champions Al Gharafa 1-0, whereas Al Sadd progressed to the last four by edging Qatar SC 5-4 on penalties after the regular time ended in a 1-1 draw.
