Alkass Digital
Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa will clash in the semifinal of Qatar Cup 2024 at the Khalifa International Stadium on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. The kick-off is at 8pm.
The tasks for Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa in the clash would be challenging given the two teams’ form and fitness, and their desire to reach the final of ninth edition of the prestigious Qatar Cup.
Both The Lions and The Cheetahs are equal in their capabilities and will go all out to prevail in the contest – the result of which could well depend on the smaller details, planning and execution on the field.
Al Rayyan, the runners-up of the 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League with 47 points, will seek to make it to the final at the expense of Al Gharafa, who finished the league championship in third place with 44 points.
After Al Sadd won the title, there was strong competition between these two teams to finish the tournament in second place, but Al Rayyan’s victory over Al Sadd in the final round saw them claim the coveted place as Al Gharafa suffered a loss to Al Shamal.
Al Rayyan will enter the match with a fierce desire and high morale. Their coach Leonardo Jardim would be relying on a number of their stars, most notably their league top scorer Roger Guedes, Achraf Bencharki, Andre Amaro, Thiago Mendes, Rodrigo Moreno, Fahad Younis and Bassam Al Rawi among others.
On the other hand, Al Gharafa coach Pedro Martins would be keen that his wards deliver their best to surpass Al Rayyan and reach the final. The coach would be relying on his top stars Yacine Brahimi, Ahmed Alaaeldin, Farid Boulaya, Ahmed Al Janehi, Jang Hyun-Soo and Ferjani Sassi among others to fetch them a positive result.
As per the tournament rule, the first-placed team in the league championship plays against fourth-placed team and second-placed team plays against third-placed team.
This is the sixth time that Al Rayyan have made it to the Qatar Cup, having previously qualified in the 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021 editions, since the tournament was relaunched under its current name in 2014.
As for Al Gharafa, this is the third time that they are playing in the Qatar Cup since its launch under its new name in 2014. Al Gharafa had previously made it to the Qatar Cup semifinals in the fifth and seventh editions, in 2018 and 2021 respectively.
The result will depend on which team battles harder throughout the match.