Al Duhail will take on Al Gharafa in the second semi-final of Qatar Cup 2025 at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Wednesday (Aprilt 23) at 7pm. Duhail qualified for the Qatar Cup 2025 after finishing second in the Qatar Stars League while Gharafa were third.

Al Duhail coach Christophe Galtier hopes for the team to overcome the disappointment of missing out on the league title by winning the Qatar Cup.

Ahead of the clash with Gharafa, Galtier said, “Our goals are the same as those of the other teams: to achieve victory, qualify for the 2025 Qatar Cup final, and compete for the title. This match is a continuation of the rivalry between the two teams, who have fought hard throughout the season.

“It will be an exciting semi-final. We respect Al Gharafa a lot, but our goal is to reach the final. Now the league championship is over and the competition for the 2025 Qatar Cup title has begun. It is a very important tournament for us. Cup matches are different and decisive. We must be ready to face a team like Gharafa.

“After losing the league title, we have to fight for the rest of the season’s tournaments. We lost the league title to Al Sadd despite the team’s good performance in the second half. I would be happy to win any upcoming championship to make up for the disappointment of losing the league and I congratulate Al Sadd on winning the league title,” said Galtier.

Gharafa, however, won’t be easy opponents, having a similar ambition. Gharafa coach Pedro Martins said his team will do their best to beat Duhail. “We will do our best to win and qualify for the final. We lost our last match against Al Shahania in the league championship, and we are striving to improve in the Qatar Cup match to maintain our chances of qualifying for the final,” he said.

“We are focusing on Duhail’s style of play and studying it carefully to deliver the best possible performance. Our opponents are a very strong and distinguished team, and we will be fully prepared to play the match with all our strength. “I expect great support from Gharafa fans in the upcoming match against Duhail, especially since the fans are very important in helping boosting the morale of the players to win the championship,” Martins added.

Gharafa forward Yacine Brahimi said, “We are fully aware of the importance of this match and the tournament, and therefore we strive to do our best. Our focus is high and we will try to deliver a distinguished performance.”

The current season witnessed two matches between Al Duhail and Al Gharafa in the league. The first-leg match ended in a 1-1 draw, while Al Duhail won the second leg 2-0. Duhail have prominent stars in their team such as Michael Olunga, Edmilson, Almoez Ali, Ismail Mohammed, Bassam al-Rawi and Hakim Ziyech. Gharafa are served by a group of distinguished players, such as Joselu, Brahimi, Ferjani Sassi and al-Janahi.