Doha: El Jaish will defend their Qatar Cup title as the top four Qatar Stars League (QSL) teams will begin their battle for the coveted tournament beginning today at the Abdulla bin Khalifa Stadium.
The second edition of the prestigious tournament will first see Doha giants Al Sadd and defending champions El Jaish battling out for a place in the final while the second semi-final will be played between QSL champions Lekhwiya and Qatar Sports Club.
The final of the event will be played on May 1.
El Jaish won the inaugural edition of Qatar Cup after defeating Lekhwiya on penalties last April.
Hussain Amute’s Al Sadd are desperate for the title this season after they dropped the QSL title, though they are battling injuries to key players.
“It’s a very important competition for us, I know that the game will be very tough as we are facing El Jaish,” Amute said ahead of the match.
“We have had some key injuries, Khalfan will be absent for 10 days, Muriqui is also having issues with back pain.”
Al Sadd finished above El Jaish this season in second place with 57 points.
They achieved this by winning 17, losing just 3 times and drawing 6 matches this season. El Jaish finished just below the Wolves with 47 points, a ten point gap between themselves and Al Sadd. The Soldiers won 15, lost 9 and drew just 2 times.
In the league this season Al Sadd has had the upper hand winning both games, the first was back in round 12.
Sadd were at home and produced a convincing win over Jaish (3-1). Then at the begging of April Jaish suffered a trouncing as Sadd beat them 5-2.
But Amute believed his team will have to give their best against the defending champions.
“We have the best form going into the competition but I am worried about our recent absences, El Jaish remember also have a strong bench.”
In the second semi-final, the spotlight will be firmly fixed on Lekhwiya Head Coach Michael Laudrup who in his first season in charge has already won the league.
The Danish football legend is keen to win everything in his sights, and knows that the double is the minimum requirement for the ambitious club. However it won’t be easy as they face more than capable opponents in the form of Qatar Sports Club, who finished in the top four this season. A feat they last achieved back in the 2009/10 QSL season.
This has to be largely attributed to their new head coach Radhi Shenaishil who has been a breath of fresh air for the Kings. This is the first time that QSC has been in the competition since the Cup was rebranded and they will be looking to finish off a great season with some much needed silverware.
Lekhwiya won the league with one round to pare and a total of 62 points. The Cops won 19, drew 5 times and lost only two games the entire season.
Qatar SC finished in 4th with an admirable 46 points, just one point behind El Jaish. The Kings won 14, lost 8 and drew 4 times.
In the league Lekhwiya won both encounters against QSC, the first came back in the very first round when the Cops put five past the Kings with no reply.
The other win for Lekhwiya came in round 14 but the score line was much more respectable (3-1). THE PENINSULA
