Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium will host today’s evening, starting at 7:30, a very exciting match between Al Sadd and Al Markhiya at the top of the confrontations of the final price of the Prince’s Cup 2023, where the leader begins the campaign to regain his title, which he lost to Al Duhail in the last version, by meeting Al Markhiya team, who He is looking for a heavy-caliber surprise by eliminating Al-Sadd and continuing the road towards the dream final, as the leader, led by his Spanish coach, attaches great importance to this competition and places it as a priority to decorate his coffers with it this season, and he will only be compensated by embracing the precious cup. The most crowned Al-Sadd club seeks, through its participation in the Emir’s Cup, to confirm its absolute control over the competition and decorate its coffers with the 19th cup in its history, as the leader is considered the owner of the largest number of coronations in this competition with 18 coronations, and a difference of 10 full coronations from the second-place Al-Arabi club. Where the leader will throw all his weight into this competition in order to win the title, and the start will be by overcoming the Al Markhiya obstacle in the sixteenth round, before starting to think about the next rounds, which will be more difficult. The surprise is imminent. It is certain that Al-Markhiya Club will not surrender in today’s confrontation against Al-Sadd, as coach Abdullah Mubarak affirmed explicitly that his team is determined to present a heroic match against Al-Sadd and snatch qualification to the next round, as he confirmed that cup competitions were often marked by resounding surprises by crowning clubs. Small titles, which is what Al Markhiya dreams of achieving this season by embracing the Emir Cup for the first time in its history, in a dream that Al Markhiya players consider legitimate for them, and the first step towards their great ambition is to remove the competition leader from their path. A fierce competitor, despite the great difference in level and capabilities between Al-Sadd and Al-Markhiya clubs, the recent matches that brought them together were all characterized by great rivalry and excitement, as Al-Markhiya won the first leg of the Stars League with a score of four goals to three, while Al-Zaeem won the absent match with great difficulty, with a result A free goal, which was confirmed by the Spanish coach Juanma when he said that Al-Markhiya is a fierce competitor and no team in Qatar can beat it easily, which confirms that Al-Sadawiya will take today’s match seriously and will throw all their weight in the green rectangle in order to avoid any unfavorable scenario. Saar for them, especially since exclusion from the competition would be a disappointment for the leader, given his distance from the title race, his lack of competition, and his prior exit from the AFC Champions League group stage. A technical confrontation Today’s match between Al-Sadd and Al-Markhiya will carry a special struggle between Juanma, the Spanish coach of Al-Sadd Club, and his counterpart, Abdullah Mubarak, in a major tactical clash between them. It is the praise that Abdullah Mubarak said immediately afterwards that it greatly honors him and motivates him to continue working in order to provide a lot for Al Markhiya Club and achieve great achievements.
Juanma: I want to win the Emir’s Cup. The Al-Sadd coach expressed his strong desire to be crowned with the Emir’s Cup title, and he said during the press conference yesterday: The Emir’s Cup is a very important tournament for me, the players and the fans as well. He spoke with the players and they assured me of the importance that the fans attach to this tournament, which is what It increased my desire to put this precious trophy in the coffers of Al Sadd Club, as players and technical staff are ready to win the match that is final for us and for the competitor as well. We are on the verge of important matches in the league in which we have not lost all our chances, but our focus is currently on the Emir Cup only. We will play the game with all our might to qualify. Juanma spoke about Al-Markhiya and said: Every tournament has its own specificities. We will face a very difficult team. Al-Markhiya is a team that cannot be underestimated and has players with great energy, and they created great difficulties for us in the last match that we won with a free goal, and for this we will play the match with high concentration and determination to win.
Abdul Rahman Rashid: A difficult match against a stubborn competitor Abdul Rahman Rashid, the player of Al Sadd Club, said that his team will play the Al Markhiya match with all strength to achieve qualification to the next round, in the Emir Cup competition, which is of great importance to the players, as he put it, and added in the press conference: Playing The Prince Cup is a dream for every player, given its great importance to us and to the fans as well. Our goal in the competition is clear, which is to go to the farthest round and be crowned with it. Our match against Al Markhiya will not be easy. We realize that the opponent will do the impossible in order to overthrow us and qualify. We will use all our capabilities to win and qualify.
Abdullah Mubarak: Surprises are possible. Abdullah Mubarak, the coach of Al-Markhiya Club, considered that his team’s chances in the confrontation against Al-Sadd will be equal, and that the Emir Cup competition does not recognize differences in levels between clubs. He said in the press conference: There are certainly big differences between clubs that have great experiences and achievements in football. The Emir’s Cup competition and other middle-class clubs with great ambition to shine. Playing against an experienced team that has many titles is a stimulus for us. Personally, I wanted to face Al Sadd even before the draw, because winning it would make us champions. Our preparations for the match were according to the size of the tournament and the competition. We are ready to play a big game and defend our chances with all our might. Abdullah Mubarak added: Surprises are possible in cup competitions. We have seen many times a lot of surprises and small teams reached the final and were crowned. God willing, we will play a good match. Our players do not need motivation. Our ambition is legitimate.
Talal Ali: We will try to repeat the scenario of 2017. Talal Ali, the player of Al-Markhiya Club, said that his team aspires to repeat the achievement of 2017 by going far in the Emir’s Cup competition and causing a surprise. He said: Participation in the Emir’s Cup is an honor for every player. Coronations in this competition, but our ambition is very great to go far in the tournament. We previously achieved a surprise in 2017 after we eliminated Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa as well, and he said: Cup competitions have a peculiarity and winning three matches will put you in the final, and this is a great incentive for us to present a great match And achieve qualification to continue the adventure in the cup and why not reach the final at least.
