Tonight; 2017 Qatar Cup Final- Preview
Al Sadd and El Jaish gear up for Saturday’s Qatar Cup Final
Al Sadd will be looking to lift the Qatar Cup for the first time in their history when they go head-to-head with El Jaish in the Qatar Cup Final at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium this Saturday 29 April as The Soldiers look to lift the cup for a second successive year, reaching the cup final for a record fourth year in a row.
Al Sadd and El Jaish, who both head into the final captained by ex-FC Barcelona players with Xavi leading out The Wolves and former Malian international Seidou Keita for the Soldiers, will both be hoping to cap a decent season with some silverware after both registered successful QSL seasons by finishing second and fourth respectively.
Both teams come into the final after partaking in some thrilling semi-final matches, both of which ended 3-2. Winger Sardor Rashidov was Jaish’s semi-final hero, with the Uzbekistan International scoring a last gasp winner after a fine solo breakaway that gave Jaish victory over QSL league winners Lekhwiya. The Wolves also progressed to the final after a nail-biting victory over their arch rivals Al Rayyan which saw them take a decisive 3-0 lead into half time but end up defending to the death after Al Rayyan bagged two second half goals and pressed for an equaliser right up to the final whistle.
Al Sadd will likely head into the tie the hungrier team after missing out on the QSL league title by just two points this term. The Wolves have yet to lift the Qatar Cup in their illustrious history, losing on all three previous occasions to El Jaish at the semi-final stage.
Jesualdo Ferriera is likely to have a full strength side for this match, and goalkeeper Saad Al Dossari is likely to return to the side after serving a domestic suspension.
El Jaish’s Qatar Cup record speaks for itself though and despite having a season of ups and down The Soldiers will head into the tie full of confidence as they hope to be the first to retain the cup. El Jaish are also well used to the Qatar Cup final stage having made the finals every year since it was changed to the Qatar Cup in 2013.
Sabri Lamouchi’s side will be without influential defender Lucas Mendes who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a broken cheekbone. However, the solders will be boosted by the return of long term absentee Abderrazak Hamdallah who is set to replace Mendes in the side. After recovering from a long term knee injury it’s likely that Hamdallah could start from the bench for his side.
It certainly promises to be an interesting encounter when Al Sadd take on El Jaish in the show piece Qatar Cup Final on Saturday evening. You can pick up tickets for the match here.
