Al Sadd will face-off against Al Wakrah in first semi-final of the Qatar Cup at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium today at 5.15pm. The clash is expected to witness an electric fight between the two teams, the winner of which will face the winner of other semi-final between Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa. Al Sadd enter the match after winning the Expo Stars League title while Al Wakrah finished fourth. The two teams’ matches in the Expo Stars League had ended in goalless draws, both in the first and second leg. Al Sadd coach Wesam Rizik, speaking ahead of the Qatar Cup semi-final, said: “Winning the Qatar Cup title is a personal challenge after winning the league. Our goal is to win all tournaments this season and to make it a historic season for Al Sadd. “Al Wakrah achieved positive results in the league championship. We had two drawn results against them, but the next match is much different from the previous ones. Al Wakrah will also give their best and we must be careful, and provide a better performance to overcome them.” Al Sadd’s player Tarek Salman said: “Al Sadd and Al Wakrah matches are always strong and exciting. They are a special contest and we look to provide our best and advance to the final.” Al Wakrah’s coach Ali Rahma al-Marri said: “It will be an equal match, and the one who is more focused and willing will have a greater chance of winning and reaching the final. We will go into the match with all focus to qualify for the final. Facing Al Sadd in the Qatar Cup is different and caution will be key on part of both teams. We shall strive to appear in a distinctive and better way.” The team’s player Ahmed Fadhel said: “Facing Al Sadd will be strong, especially since the cup matches are very different. Al Wakrah are capable of reaching the final match and we are preparing strongly for the match.” Both Al Sadd and Al Wakrah teams comprise distinguished players capable of attacking strongly. Al Sadd in particular have the firepower led by players like Baghdad Bounedjah, Akram Afif, Gonzalo Plata and the experienced Hassan al-Haydous among others. Al Wakrah rely on the brilliance of their attacking duo of Mohamed Benyettou and Jacinto Dala, in addition to Hamdi Fathi, Mahdi Ali, Lucas Mendes and reliable goalkeeper Saoud al-Khater among others. Al Sadd are looking to complete the journey of success in the Qatar Cup and score over Al Wakrah to reach the final and compete for the title and to win it for a fourth time, having won it in 2017, 2020 and 2021. Al Sadd have not missed qualifying for Qatar Cup since its launch under its current name in 2014. This is their ninth Qatar Cup appearance in a row. On the other hand, Al Wakrah have made it to the Qatar Cup for a second time in a row under its new name since 2014. In 2023, The Blue Wave had lost in the semi-final to Al Duhail by two goals to one. Al Rayyan face Al Gharafa in second semi-final In the second Qatar Cup semi-final, Al Rayyan will meet Al Gharafa at the Khalifa International Stadium today at 8pm. The tasks for Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa in the clash would be challenging given the two teams’ form and fitness, and their desire to reach the final of ninth edition of the prestigious Qatar Cup. Al Rayyan, the runners-up of the 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League, will seek to make it to the final at the expense of Al Gharafa, who finished the league in third place. Al Gharafa coach Pedro Martins said: “Facing Al Rayyan is tough and we will work to give our best to gain victory and qualify for the final. We lost our last match to Al Shamal in the league championship and we are seeking to improve in the Qatar Cup to maintain our chances of making the final. “All our players know what kind of goals we are striving for. We have this mentality that we are trying to establish within the team and in the locker room. Our goals are to win titles for the club.” Al Gharafa star Yacine Brahimi said: “We are focused and we will try to provide a good performance, better than our last league match. The goal from the beginning was to win the league title and now, we are facing a different competition. We face Al Rayyan in a strong semi-final and hope to reach the final.” In the Expo Stars League, there was strong competition between these two teams to finish as second but Al Rayyan’s victory over Al Sadd in the final round saw them claim the coveted place as Al Gharafa suffered a loss to Al Shamal. Al Rayyan coach said Wednesday match would be a continuation of the battle. “Our goals are the same as that other teams, which is to qualify for Qatar Cup final. This match is a continuation of the competition between the two teams who fought a lot during the season, and the battle was strong between us in the final stages of the league.” Al Rayyan player Thiago Mendes said: “The goal is to beat Al Gharafa and reach the final and win the Qatar Cup. Everyone saw the level that Al Rayyan presented in the league championship, so our goal is to win the Qatar Cup.”