QNA
Ooredoo Cup semi-final stage will witness two exciting confrontations between Al Wakrah, Al Gharafa and Al Sailiya with Al Rayyan on Wednesday at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Al Sadd Club.
Al Gharafa and Al Wakrah match represents a summit between two big teams, Al Wakrah qualified for the semifinals by topping the five-team Group A with 18 points (six wins and two defeats). The Blue Wave had a goal difference of +11 (20 goals for and nine against).
On the other hand, Al Gharafa made it to the semifinals as the runners-up of Group B with 11 points (three victories, as many defeats and two draws). The Cheetahs had a goal difference of -3 (15 goals for and 18 against).
Meanwhile, Al Wakrah had finished in the creditable third position in the recently concluded 2021-2022 season QNB Stars League with 37 points (11 wins, four draws and seven defeats), while Al Gharafa missed out on the top-four finish and ended up fifth with 30 points (nine wins, three draws and 10 defeats).
In the last face-off between the two teams, Al Gharafa defeated Al Wakrah 4-1 in the Amir Cup semifinal recently. However, Al Gharafa lost to Al Duhail by a 1-5 margin in the final.
On to the Ooredoo Cup semifinal, both sides may be without their international players (Qatari and overseas) who are on duty with the national teams, but that will not deter them from giving off their best.
Besides, it is a great opportunity for substitute players and youngsters looking for more match experience.
It will also be a tactical face-off between the coaches, Spaniard Marquez Lopez (Al Wakrah) and Italian Andrea Stramaccioni (Al Gharafa), who are proven masters.
As for Al Sailiya and Al Rayyan match is of special importance for both, as each of them seeks to win a title this season.
Al Sailiya the reigning champions progressed to the semifinals by topping the five-team Group B with 15 points (four wins, three draws and one defeat). The Peregrines had a goal difference of +14 (23 goals for and nine against).
On the other hand, Al Rayyan qualified for the semifinals as the runners-up of Group A with 12 points (four victories and as many defeats). The Lions had a goal difference of 0 (13 goals for and as many against).
It may be recalled that Al Sailiya had beaten Al Rayyan 2-0 in the final of 2020-2021 season Ooredoo Cup, with goals from Serigne Mbodji and Mohanad Ali.
Al Sailiya is on a high, having beaten Second Division runners-up Al Kharaitiyat 3-2 with a last-gasp goal in the Relegation Play-off on 19th March. Al Sailiya went into the Play-Off after finishing in 11th position in the recently concluded 2021-2022 season QNB Stars League with 16 points (three wins, seven draws and 12 defeats).
On the other hand, Al Rayyan ended up in eighth spot in the league with 24 points (six wins, as many draws and 10 defeats).
Coaches Tunisian Sami Trabelsi (Al Sailiya) and Chilean Nicolas Cordova (Al Rayyan) are sure to make their wards go the extra mile in order to book a berth in the title clash.
Trabelsi has been at the helm of Al Sailiya for a long time, whereas Cordova recently took over Al Rayyan from Frenchman Laurent Blanc.