Al Sadd vs. Lekhiwya
Jassim bin Hamad Stadium
Al Sadd Club, 17:15 (Doha)
The top two teams in Qatari football this season will have another opportunity to clash, this time with a place in the final of Qatar's most prestigious competition at stake.
Al Sadd won their first league title since the 2006-2007, a historic season in which they dominated all competitions, and with no duties in Asian competitions this season, they were hoping for a similar achievement, but Lekhwiya dashed their hopes when they defeated them in the final of the Heir Apparent Cup a couple of weeks ago.
Nonetheless, winning the double will be a great achievement for the “Wolves” in a season that saw them returning to the top on local level, with the help of their new coach, Moroccan Houcine Amouta and the arrival of Spain’s Legendary striker Raul Gonzalez.
Lekhwiya failed to win a third straight league title, but they clinched their first ever Apparent Cup title, and will also be hoping to lift their maiden Emir Cup trophy.
Their Belgian coach Eric Gerets will expect his main striker Sebastian Soria to be in top form, as the Qatar international finished on top of the scorers list in the league with 19 goals, and also scored twice in the 4-2 quarter final victory over Al Gharrafa.
Last month, Lekhwiya reached the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League for the first time in their history, and will clash with Asian giants Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia over two legs in the round of 16 later this month. The first leg will take place in Riyadh on May 15th.
Al Sadd won the Emir Cup trophy a record 13 times, and lost the final five times, most recently when they lost on penalties to Al Gharrafa last year.
Al Rayyan vs. Al Jaish
Jassim bin Hamad Stadium
Al Sadd Club, 19:45 (Doha)
After winning their first ever trophy this season by defeating Al Arabi in the final of QNB Cup last March, and reaching the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League in their first ever participation in continental competitions, the “Maroon Battalion” will be full of confidence ahead of their clash against Al Rayyan.
Their witty coach Razvan Lucescu will welcome back the team’s top scorer Adriano, but will have to cope without former Al Rayyan defender Marcone, who will miss the game through suspension after seeing red in the quarter final against Qatar Sports Club.
Al Rayyan, the most popular team in Qatar, will be hoping to avoid a poor end to a season, which they started brightly defeating Al Sadd in the final of Sheikh Jassim Cup, before posing an a serious challenge for the league winners during the first weeks of the season, thanks to the brilliant form of their new signing, Nilmar and star attacking midfielder Rodrigo Tabata.
The Lions suffered greatly in the second half of the season, especially with their duties at the continental front, where they crashed out of the group stage of AFC Champions League. Uruguayan coach Carlos Aguirre has been under huge pressure recently and only a victory in the final of Emir Cup might save his job.