Al Rayyan, Al Sailiya eye Ooredoo Cup title glory

Qatar football giants Al Rayyan and Al Sailiya will meet in a blockbuster final at Al Sadd Stadium today with both teams targeting their maiden Ooredoo Cup title. The kick-off for the final is set for 5:00pm. Today, Al Rayyan, coached by Laurent Blanc, will be looking to go one step higher than they did in 2017 where they went down 3-2 to Al Gharafa in the final. Al Sailiya reached their maiden final despite losing in the first semifinal to Al Wakrah by a 0-3 margin after disciplinary action was taken against the latter for fielding an ineligible player. The Qatar Football Association’s (QFA) Disciplinary Committee overturned that result and instead awarded Al Sailiya a 3-0 victory while imposing a fine of QR10,000 on Al Wakrah following an appeal made by Al Sailiya. On the other hand, Al Rayyan made it to the final by beating Al Gharafa by an identical 3-0 margin in the second semi-final a day later.

Al Rayyan coach Blanc predicted a tough battle in today's final, with both teams getting ready to fire in all big guns available in their arsenal. “The outcome of the match against Al Sailiya cannot be predicted, but our ambition is to win the Ooredoo Cup. We know the difficulty my team faces against Al Sailiya in the final. No one can predict the outcome of the team’s match with Al Sailiya given the difficulty of the clash and the desire of each team to win the championship," Blanc said during a press conference on the eve of the title clash. “My team has prepared well for the match. As always, we are preparing all players for any clash in the best way possible, both technically and physically. My team went through training with full force in the last period to reach the best possible readiness. All players are ready to play the match with the exception of national team players who are in Hungary for the European qualifiers for 2022 FIFA World Cup," Blanc said. Both teams will miss players who are on national duty for various countries. “My team will play the Al Sailiya match with all strength and seriousness in order to win the championship. We have followed the opposing team and watched their last few matches. Al Sailiya are a good team and include high-level players," Blanc said. His opposite number, Sam Trabelsi knows how strong Al Rayyan are. “It will definitely be a strong match against Al Rayyan. We see it as an opportunity to correct the situation and appear better, and improve results that have not gone well for us in the recent period. Al Rayyan are an excellent and balanced team that is going through a good period with good results as they have very high-level players. And since the arrival of coach Laurent Blanc, their team has shown how to advance to the top four in the league," Trabelsi credited the French tactician for Al Rayyan's impressive run this season. “Al Sailiya’s matches with Al Rayyan are always full of excitement and we have succeeded in many matches to outperform Al Rayyan, and we hope that it will be repeated in the Ooredoo Cup final.