Doha, 27 December 2023 - Hoping to emulate their achievements in the previous season, Umm Salal are eyeing a victory over Al Shamal in the first quarter-final of the Ooredoo Cup to be played at Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium today.
Exciting contests are on the cards during the quarter-finals of the tournament with Al Ahli and Al Markhiya also squaring off in the second quarter-final today.
Umm Salal were outstanding in the last season’s Ooredoo Cup with Al Duhail ending their fine run with a 1-0 win in the title clash in March.
The Orange Fortress have also done in the ongoing edition, topping Group A with an unbeaten run tallying 11 points from three wins and two draws. Umm Salal will start as favourites to enter the semi-finals having defeated Al Shamal 3-1 in the first leg of Expo Stars League (ESL) despite a 6-0 thrashing by Al Sadd in the top flight last week.
Al Shamal, who are struggling at 10th place in the top flight and advanced to the last eight stage of the Ooredoo Cup only after finishing fourth in Group B, will be looking to stun their opponents, currently ranked seventh in the league.
Meanwhile, the second quarter-final between Al Ahli and Al Markhiya will be played at Grand Hamad Stadium.
Al Ahli, who qualified for the quarter-finals after finishing second in Group A, are brimming with confidence as they are returning to action fresh from a resounding 5-3 victory over giants Al Duhail in the ESL.
Al Markhiya, however, will look for a turnaround after dismal results this season. The bottom-placed ESL side was handed a 6-0 drubbing by Al Rayyan last week. They entered the last eight stage of Ooredoo Cup as the third best side from Group B with seven points.
Tomorrow’s quarter-finals include an anticipated game between champions Al Duhail and the Amir Cup winners Al Arabi to be played at Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium, after Al Rayyan will take on Qatar SC at Grand Hamad Stadium.
Ooredoo Cup Quarter-finals
Today
5:30pm: Umm Salal vs Al Shamal at Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium
7:30pm: Al Ahli vs Al Markhiya at Grand Hamad Stadium
Tomorrow
5:30pm: Al Rayyan vs Qatar SC at Grand Hamad Stadium
7:30pm: Al Duhail vs Al Arabi at Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium
