Rayyan look to salvage season

Al Rayyan will have to lift themselves up and make one last-gasp effort for glory if they are to redeem their pride as Qatar’s domestic season draws to a close with the Emir Cup.
After winning the 2015-16 Qatar Stars League with five matches to spare, the Lions have been dogged by inconsistency and poor luck with the result they just about managed to finish in the top four this season.
They were also knocked out by Al Sadd 3-2 in the Qatar Cup last month, leaving them with only the Emir Cup to ensure they don’t finish without a piece of silverware this season.
Seeded directly into the quarter-finals by virtue of their fourth place finish in the Qatar Stars League, they take on Al Gharafa today at the Al Sadd Stadium hoping for a change of fortunes.
“The Emir Cup is considered the most coveted trophy in Qatar and it is every team’s dream to win it,” Al Rayyan coach Michael Laudrup said at a press conference yesterday.
“It’s true that we have not been at our best this season but the players are not short of motivation. They are pretty keen to make the season count,” Laudrup added.
Al Rayyan did well to give Al Sadd a fright in the Qatar Cup semi-finals before bowing out 3-2 in a thriller. There were also thrashed 5-1 by the UAE’s Al Wahda in the AFC Champions League.
But Laudrup said they had to forget about those results.
“We can’t agonise over what is in the past,” said the Danish, Barcelona and Real Madrid legend. “We have to make the most of what is there in front of us.”
Al Rayyan have won the Emir Cup six times, the last being in 2013 when they edged out Al Sadd 2-1 in the final.
“Al Rayyan have a great history and I am sure it will be a great motivator,” said Laudrup.
Al Gharafa coach Habib Sadegh said his team won’t be overawed by Al Rayyan’s troika of Rodrigo Tabata, Sergio Garcia and Sebastian Soria.
“We respect all players. They are obviously Al Rayyan’s main players but we are pretty much capable of defending ourselves,” said Sadegh who replaced Portuguese Pedro Caixinha, now with the Glasgow Rangers.
Al Gharafa finished fifth in the Qatar Stars League to miss out on the Asian Champions League but Sadegh said his team were all geared to make a bigger impression in the season-ending tournament.
“We have won the tournaments seven times which is a great record to have. We last won the Emir Cup in 2012 and there’s no reason why we can’t do it again this time,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Jassim Cup and league champions Lekhwiya will take on Al Khor tomorrow (Thursday) as they chase a treble to wind up the season.
They failed to qualify for last week’s Qatar Cup final after being knocked out by El Jaish in the semis. But the fact they qualified for the last 16 of the prestigious Asian Champions League has given their morale a major boost.
Lekhwiya, of course are the defending champions and would be aiming to keep the trophy with themselves before they start the next season under the name of Al Duhail Sports Club following their merger with El Jaish.
“As this is the last season we will be playing under the Lekhwiya we want to ensure we finish well and keep the title to ourselves,” said coach Djamel Belmadi.
Under Belmadi, Lekhwiya have won three of their five Qatar Stars League titles, making the Algerian one of the most sought-after coaches in the region.
They should not face many problems seeing off Al Khor who just about survived relegation from the Qatar Stars League.

Fixtures
Emir Cup QFs
Today: Al Rayyan vs Al Gharafa, 6.45pm, Al Sadd Stadium
Tomorrow: Lekhwiya vs Al Khor, 6.45pm, Al Sadd Stadium
Friday: Al Sadd vs Al Kharaitiyat, 6.45pm, Lekhwiya Stadium
Saturday: El Jaish vs Umm Salal, 6.45pm, Lekhwiya Stadium