Al Arabi are keen to end the season on a high with a semi-final spot in the Amir Cup their immediate priority, coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said yesterday.
Al Arabi have won Qatar’s richest tournament eight times, but the last of their triumphs came in 1993 and, after a runners-up finish the following year, they have never reached the final of the event as teams such as Al Ittihad, Al Sadd, Al Rayyan and Al Duhail began to assert themselves at the domestic level.
“We know it’s going to be a very tough game. We have done quite well in the past 5-6 years and we are extremely optimistic about our performance,” Hallgrimsson said yesterday during his pre-match press conference held at Al Bidda Tower.
The match is scheduled to be played at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium today at 6.30pm.
“We had put up a strong performance against Al Khor in our previous match. The positive thing is that our players are well aware of the responsibility they have”, Hallgrimsson added.
Al Arabi defeated Al Khor 4-3 on penalties to make the last eight of Amir Cup. At one point, Al Khor seemed to be cruising towards the quarter-finals after taking a 2-0 in the first-half. However, Halgrimmsson introduced Hamdi Harbaoui and goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada and that proved to be masterstrokes.
Al Arabi mounted a strong comeback, scoring in the 74th minute when Pierre-Michel Lasogga struck from the penalty spot
A minute later Harbaoui made it 2-2 after taking advantage of a defensive slip from Al Khor and take the match to penalties. In the shootout, Abunada was the hero as his two crucial saves sealed Arabi’s place in the quarter-finals.
Al Arabi skipper Aron Gunnarsson, who also attended the press conference, added: “We are all set to face Al Ahli in our quarter-final clash. The last game was tough but we played really well. We want to move ahead and show our best.”
Al Arabi will be missing some of the key players but both coach and skipper believe that the squad are still strong to face any opponents.
“We will miss the services of Morteza Pouraliganji and Ismail Moussa. We are used to it and we still feel we are good enough”, Halgrimmsson concluded.
Meanwhile, Al Ahli coach Nebojsa Jovovic is hopeful of a good show from his side.
“Our preparations went off well and we are ready to face Al Arabi. We focused on building our team spirit and it’s working out right,” Jovovic said.
“Learning from the last game’s mistakes, we are ready to move on and show the best of us,” Jovovic added.
Al Ahli’s last match against Qatar SC at the Grand Hamad Stadium proved to be a thriller with Al Ahli scoring a late goal to register a fighting win.
“Every day is a different day. Every next game is a different game. We have learned a lot from our past and we are ready to move on”, Al Ahli player Nabil El Zhar said.
Al Arabi skipper Aron Gunnarsson (left) and coach Heimir Hallgrimsson at their pre-match press conference yesterday. At bottom, Al Ahli coach Nebojsa Jovovic.
