Qatar: Al-Sadd coach seeks to include the title in the club’s coffers.. Al-Markhiya coach believes in surprises

Spain’s Juanma Leo, coach of Al Sadd team, confirmed his team’s aspirations to win the title of the fifty-first edition of the Amir Football Cup 2023, pointing to the importance of the tournament for all teams in Qatar as well as for the fans. The Spanish coach expressed his optimism about the ability of his team, which won the most cup (18 titles), in tomorrow’s confrontation against Al-Markhiya, which is hosted by Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, in the final price competitions of the championship. And the 57-year-old coach added in a statement today during the press conference preceding the confrontation: "We know the importance of the championship for all aspects of football in Qatar, and we will face a hardworking team that will present distinguished levels this season, in addition to the fact that the difficulty of the championship lies in the fact that it is held by the knockout system.". And the former assistant coach of Manchester City, England, continued: "Our goal is to include this championship in the coffers of Al Sadd, in addition to our chance to compete for the league title still exists, and our fans are calling for us to win the championships.". Juanma concluded: "We know Al-Markhiya team well, and we overcame it with difficulty in the last confrontation, and every match has its own calculations, and we will play with a different philosophy from the league.". In turn, Abdul Rahman Rashid, the Al Sadd player, said: The cup matches are different from the league, stressing his team’s determination to move forward towards the final match and achieve the title. The player added: "Our team is going through a good phase at the moment, and there is a great determination by all players to appear satisfactory, and we know that the task will not be easy, but with everyone’s determination, we will achieve our goal tomorrow.". For his part, Abdullah Mubarak, the coach of Al-Markhiya team, did not hide his desire to make a surprise in tomorrow’s meeting, expressing his great optimism in the ability of all players to show a strong image and achieve victory and qualification. The 60-year-old added: "The tournament is precious and a great honor for us to be in this role, and the ambition of competition is a legitimate right for everyone, and we will undoubtedly face an experienced team in this tournament that has a great history.". He continued: "Our preparations went well, and everyone knows that the championship does not recognize standards, and surprises are possible in cup matches, and our goal is to perform a good match and present the expected show". Mubarak concluded his speech: "We want to advance to the farthest point in the championship rounds, and we will strive to reach the next round, in addition to our strategy to secure our position in the warm regions of the league, and our team has proven its superiority and recorded a distinguished presence in the current season, thanks to the solidarity of everyone in Al Markhiya Club". In turn, Talal Ali, captain of Al-Markhiya team, said that his team is living in a positive atmosphere at the present time, expressing his optimism in achieving a good result against Al-Sadd, the 18-time champion of this tournament. The player added: "Our preparations were good, and the cup competitions are different from the league, and we aspire to progress to the quarter-finals". Al-Sadd is seeking to overtake the promoted Al-Markhiya to the ranks of the first-class clubs this season, in the fourth confrontation between them in this tournament. Consideration in the second leg with a clean goal. The tournament draw had drawn two parallel tracks leading to the final match. In the first track, the winner from Umm Salal and Al Khor will meet in the quarter-final round with the winner from the Al-Sadd and Al-Markhiya match, while the same track includes another confrontation in the quarter-final round. The winner of the Al-Wakrah and Al-Shahaniya match will meet with The winner from Al Gharafa and Qatar, with the two victors meeting in the quarter-final matches of the same track in the semi-final match. As for the second track, the winner from Al-Rayyan and Al-Sailiya will meet in the quarter-finals with the winner from Al-Duhail and Al-Kharaitiyat, while the same track includes another confrontation in the quarter-finals. From the same track in the semi-final match.