Tribune News Network
Doha
Al Arabi coach Younes Ali said the final of 2023-2024 season Ooredoo Cup final against Umm Salal, to be played on Saturday at the Grand Hamad Stadium is 50-50 for both the teams.
Speaking to the media on Thursday ahead of the final, Younes Ali said, “We started the tournament seriously, the players have done well and now we are in the final which will be a tough one but we will show a good level of performance in the final. And since you have reached the final, you want to win it.
“Umm Salal are a distinguished team and have been playing good matches since the beginning of the season, especially in the Ooredoo Cup. They are playing a full professional team, they are doing well. They are one of the teams we thought would make it to the final, and now they have reached there and I think they will try to do well against us. I think it is 50-50 in the final.
“We have many new faces who have proved their worth during this tournament. The team has promised me that they will do their best to win the cup and make Al Arabi fans happy.”
“We will be missing Yousef Msakni, Marco Verratti and Abdou Diallo, who are nursing injuries, in addition to the presence of a number of our players with the national team, such as Jassim Jaber and Ahmed Fathi but we have other players who will take up the opportunity and do well in the final.”
Umm Salal coach Patrice Carteron said, “We are proud of reaching the final of Ooredoo Cup after a lot of work throughout the tournament. We face Al Arabi in the final who won the Amir Cup last season and are one of the distinguished teams that perform very well under the guidance of coach Younes Ali. It will make the final contest challenging, but I have great confidence in our team’s ability to win the title.
“We need to stay focused in the final, but play freely from the very start as we did in the semifinal. But the final will not be easy at all. The Ooredoo Cup title is very important for us and this group of players who have made great efforts throughout the past period and worked very hard in training. I believe that reaching the final and obtaining this cup will confirm that Umm Salal are indeed developing and are on the right track. We have had the opportunity to continue working from the beginning and we look to achieve our ambitions and goals that we strive for.
“We will not have Ousama Tannane and Meshal Al Shammari, who are two of the main players in the team, for the final. Their absence is certainly very impactful but these absences will be an opportunity for other players to show their capabilities and we must continue to play as one team.”
