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ikoli victor
doha
The two big teams in the country will clash for the Qatar Cup title on Friday at Jassim Bin Hmad Stadium.
Al Duhail retained their QNB Stars League title with record goals scored and going the entire season unbeaten, while, Al Sadd managed to finish second place. The Qatar Cup is a trophy they won last season and they will be hoping to win it again on Friday.
Djamel Belmadi said:"It is definitely going to be an exciting match and finish when the big two teams in Qatar clash against each other. We respect all teams, not just Al Sadd. I like to see my team score more and more goals and win matches.
"Al Sadd have world-class players such as Xavi (Hernandez) and a very good coach in Jesualdo Ferreira. But I have no worries. I have no fear. I can talk about tactics only after the game. I study my opponents and give instructions to my players. And we are just ready for the matches."
Al Sadd manager Jesualdo Ferreira said:"We are facing a strong team not only in Qatar, perhaps the strongest in Asia as can be made out from their results in the AFC Champions league. That is why we are preparing in the best possible way."
Belmadi's Red Knights thrashed Gharafa 6-1 in the semi-final after the first ended in goalles draw.
"Against Al Gharafa, we changed our strategy after a goalless first half and got the rewards for it. We were successful in stopping them from building moves from behind. Then, it was easy for us to press hard. And we avoided the mistakes we did in the opening session," Belmadi said.
"It is going to be a tight game. I wish it does not go into penalties. We are keen to win this trophy," he added.
Duhail will miss the services of its mercurial skipper Youssef Msekni but Belmadi says youngsters capable of delivering.
"I cannot cry or complain that we do not have the services of Msekni. We have a lot of young players in the squad," said Belmadi.
Meanwhile, this is the sixth final Al Sadd is playing under its Portuguese coach.
"As far the Video Assistant Referee system, I am all for technology that assists the game and impacts the end result in a better way. VAR should help us avoid many blunders like those happened in the past," said Ferreira.
Al Sadd's ace striker Baghdad Bounedjah said,"This game is going to be different from the league matches. I hope all my teammates will rise to the big occasion. We will do everything we can to retain the cup. Al Duhail is strong, so are we. They keep scoring many goals in most of the matches, so we will defend well."
Al Duhail midfielder Luis Martin said,"We have big respect for Al Sadd. It goes without saying that this is a very important game for both teams. Winning this cup will be a big boost for us in the AFC Champions League's knockout phase.
