Markhiya to take on Khor in Emir Cup third round today

Al Markhiya will take on Al Khor in the third round of the Emir Cup today. Markhiya, who were relegated from the QNB Stars League this season, were impressive in their second round 4-1 win over Al Shamal.But against Al Khor, they will have their task cut out at the Abdulla bin Khalifa stadium. Al Khor had finished eighth in the QNB Stars League and is well prepared for the Emir Cup under the supervision of coach Nasif al-Bayawi.Markhiya’s fortunes will depend on performances from attacking midfielder Eric de Oliveira Pereira and striker Mohamed Salah al-Neel. Both were impressive in win over Shamal, with Brazilian Pereira scoring one goal and creating other, while al-Neel scored a brace. Markhiya are missing some key players due to injuries and the duo will have to step up again today.The other key players for Markhiya are goalkeeper Mohamed Montasser Kharoub, Tejan Gaita, Saleh Bader Yazidi, Talal Ali, Mohamed Shaaban, Bilal Mohamed and Leonardo Di Souza.Markhiya’s Tunisian coach Adel al-Sellimi said it will be a difficult match for his team. “We knew against Shamal we were better than them. But Al Khor are at the same level like us. In the QNB Stars League we won once and drew the other against Al Khor,” he said.Markhiya custodian Mohamed Montasser Khrub said: “We are in good shape. But it will not be easy against Al Khor because they have good players in their line-up. Having said that, we are confident of progressing to the quarter-finals.”Meanwhile, Al Khor are hoping to carry their good form in the QNB Stars League to Emir Cup. They have quality players in their line-up like Khalifa Abu Bakr, Saud al-Khallaki, Katsan Luisiano, Abdullah al-Batat, Mehdi Reza, Muwafaq Awad, Reza Shaenbeh, Naif al-Buraiki, Khalid Radwan, Hamad Mansour and Ariel Thierry Ngocam.Al Khor coach Nassif al-Bayawi pointed out that Markhiya’s win over Shamal shows that it won’t be easy for his team.“The preparation for the match has been good. Emir Cup is a prestigious tournament and it important for us me and the players to do well in the competition,” he said.  Al Khor defender Naif al-Buraiki believed his team has the ability to reach the final. “The players are ready and mentally and physically. We just need to focus more in the matches,” he said.In another match, which will kick off at 8pm, Al Kharaitiyat will take on Umm Salal also at the Abdulla bin Khalifa stadium.Kharaitiyat beat Al Shahania 3-1 in the second round, while Umm Salal, which finished an impressive fifth place in the QNB Stars League, had a bye to the third round.Tomorrow, in the other third round matches, Al Wakrah meet Al Arabi, while Mesaimeer will face Al Sailiya at the Grand Hamad stadium.The top four teams in the QNB Stars League — Al Duhail, Al Sadd, Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa — will kick off their campaigns directly from the quarter-final stage of the competition, where they will be joined by four other teams who will have to work their way up.The Emir Cup is the most prestigious domestic football tournament and brings down the curtains on the nine-month long football season in Qatar.The event offers a chance for lower division teams to test their mettle against the big guns as they bid to qualify for the final at the Khalifa Stadium on May 19.