By Anil John/Doha
Al Sadd’s Wesam Rizk smiles during a training session for the Emir’s Cup quarter-finals. Thirteen-time champions Al Sadd will take on Al Wakrah at Al Arabi Stadium today
Lekhwiya, Al Gharafa and Al Rayyan are on familiar turf once again as they eye the Emir’s Cup after their continental hopes were left hanging by a thread following their lacklustre campaign in the Asian Champions League.
All three Qatari heavyweights have suffered in the lucrative Asian tournament with the result that they must win their sixth and last group game in mid-May and at the same time hope that their much stronger rivals self-destruct, allowing them a passage to the knockout phase.
Al Gharafa beat the UAE’s Al Shabab Al Arabi in Doha on Tuesday for their first victory in five matches, their hopes boosted by the fact they managed to draw three games which gave them valuable points going into the decider against Saudi giants Al Hilal on May 15.Lekhwiya, the two-time Qatar Stars League champions, were thrashed 3-0 by Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli earlier in the week, while Al Rayyan also fell to a morale-shattering defeat by the same margin against Iran’s Esteghlal.
But all that will be forgotten when the business end of the Emir’s Cup begins today, with the thoughts of receiving the trophy from HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani in front of a packed stadium on May 12 dominating their minds.
With the season coming to an end after the gruelling Qatar Stars League and other assorted tournaments that took a heavy physical and mental toll on the players, teams are hoping to make one final dash at glory before the near four-month off-season brings them some respite.
The Lekhwiya-Al Gharafa game will be the highlight of the four quarter-final matches of the Emir’s Cup to be played today, with the latter, under new coach Paulo Silas, hoping to prove a point following an indifferent past couple of seasons when they only managed to win the Heir Apparent’s Cup last year.
But Silas, who took over from Gulf veteran Bruno Metsu, knows too well that Al Gharafa have won the Emir’s Cup six times, the last one coming in 2009.“The Emir’s Cup is the highlight of the Qatari football season and I am aware of its importance,” Silas, a former Brazilian international, told reporters.
“I know we have done well in the tournament in the past and there is no reason why we shouldn’t do well again,” Silas, a midfielder who played club football for Sao Paulo, Sampdoria and Vasco da Gama, added.
Silas said the return of Ze Roberto will be a boost for his side after the former Brazil, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich star was re-drafted into the side following the termination of his contract in January this year.
“We have Ze Roberto back in the side. His presence will strengthen our midfield. We definitely have the team to go far in the tournament but our immediate focus is on the quarter-final against Lekhwiya.”
Meanwhile Al Rayyan coach Diego Aguirre, fresh from his Heir apparent Cup success in his first stint in Qatar, exuded confidence in his team’s ability but was wary of minnows Al Kharatiyat.
“Al Kharatiyat are a difficult team because they play a up and down game,” said Aguirre. “You can’t predict their style of play. It will not be easy.”
The Uruguayan added that his team faced a tough time recovering from their match against Esteghlal in the Asian Champions League.
“We had a very tough match against Esteghlal at Azadi Stadium. We needed some rest but we have very little time to recover. This adds to our tension ahead of the quarterfinal.
“Let’s see how things pan out. We will be playing to win and want to end season on a positive note. We want to go all the way.”
Al Sadd, who take on Al Wakrah, are clear favourites, although their coach Jorge Fossati was not making any predictions.
“As football goes it is tough to make predictions, but our past record speaks for itself,” said Fossati of his team who have won the Emir’s Cup a whopping 13 times.
“We have a very good team and the Emir’s Cup is the most prestigious tournament in Qatar, so the boys are not short of motivation,” added Fossati, who led Al Sadd to the Asian Champions League title last year.
Fossati, for whom this is the second stint with Al Sadd, is keen to finish the season on a high after his team fell to Al Rayyan in the Heir Apparent Cup final in April.
“Sure enough we want to end the year on a winning note. It doesn’t get bigger than the Emir’s Cup.”
TODAY›S FIXTURES
Quarter-finals
At Al Arabi Stadium
5.30pm: Al Sadd vs Al Wakrah
8pm: El Jaish vs Al Khor
At Al Sadd Stadium
5.30pm: Al Rayyan vs Al Kharatiyat
8pm: Lekhwiya vs Al Gharafa