Sparks are expected to fly when El Jaish take on Al Gharafa in the final of the Emir Cup basketball tournament tomorrow.
Lucrative cash awards, the prestigious trophy and the season’s bragging rights will be at stake on the final day of the domestic basketball calendar which sees the two dominant club teams in Qatar square off at the Al Gharafa Sports Club.
With Al Rayyan, the most successful team in the country, suffering a slump in form this season, Al Gharafa and El Jaish have grabbed the opportunity with both hands to establish their credentials and rewrite a few records.
They were neck and neck in the Qatar Men’s League with El Jaish going on to win the title on the last day of the tournament.
Al Gharafa went on to win the Qatar Cup beating Al Rayyan in the final earlier this month, but they are still hurting from the league defeat which denied them a chance of sweeping all the three titles on offer, according to Omar Abdelkader.
“It’s going to be tough match but we are fully charged up,” said the tall Al Gharafa centre. “We know El Jaish’s strengths but we are also aware of their weaknesses which we would like to exploit,” he added.
Abdelkader was not forthcoming on what El Jaish’s weaknesses were but said Al Gharafa intend to stifle them with their defence.
“Our defence is good. I believe in our defence, we are going to put pressure on them with our defence and hope to win the match,” he added.
He also said the fact that El Jaish won the league and Al Gharafa the Qatar Cup means both teams will be looking to make it 2-1 for the season.
“Yes it will be a revenge match for both teams. They will be ready to make up for their Qatar Cup loss and we will be looking to make amends for our league defeat. It will be a big, big fight.”
Al Gharafa coach Koussay Hatem admitted his team were not playing to their full potential.
“We are not playing that well technically speaking. Some of the players have been overconfident which is not good,” said the Iraqi, adding that both teams will put up a good fight.
“It should be a very tough game for both teams. These two teams were the best this season. This is not just about technical excellence. The final is all about experience, the number of mistakes you make and what you do on that particular day. Past records don’t count,” he said.
Koussay believes that his team are better off in defence which they would use to their advantage in the final.
“We have to do well in defence more than offence. It’s very risky to play offence because you are not sure of the percentages.”
El Jaish coach Hatem Mamlouk also promised a tough fight.
“We respect them as our opponents. They have done very well this season to push us. We won the league during which we beat them in both games, but then we failed to make the final of the Qatar Cup,” he said.
“But this is the last day of the local season and the most prestigious tournament. A victory for either side will give them the bragging rights for the season,” he added.
Al Gharafa have won the Emir Cup three times while El Jaish have been champions twice. Tomorrow’s final will be played at 6.30pm.
Basketball officials, players and coaches at yesterday’s press conference.
