Ooredoo Cup Set to Kick Off Friday

Doha, September 22 (QNA) - The 2020-2021 season Ooredoo Cup is all set to kick off on Friday. Round 1 matches will be played on Friday and Saturday at the Al Gharafa and Al Duhail Stadiums. All 12 QNB Stars League teams are divided into two groups. Group A has Al Sadd, Al Duhail, Al Sailiya, Al Khor, Al Wakrah and Qatar SC. Group B consists of Al Rayyan, Al Kharaitiyat, Al Gharafa, Umm Salal, Al Arabi and Al Ahli. The fixtures are Al Rayyan vs Al Kharaitiyat at Al Gharafa Stadium, Al Gharafa vs Umm Salal at Al Gharafa Stadium and Al Arabi vs Al Ahli at Al Duhail Stadium on Friday (Group B), Al Sailiya vs Al Khor at Al Gharafa Stadium and Al Wakrah vs Qatar SC at Al Gharafa Stadium on Saturday (Group A). The match between Al Sadd and Al Duhail in Round 1 (Group A) has been postponed due to the teams' participation in the 2020 AFC Champions League as the tournament resumed with all West Zone matches in Asia (Groups A, B, C and D) being scheduled in Doha from 14th September to 3rd October. The 2020-2021 season QNB Stars League has taken a break after three weeks of action and all teams, except Al Sadd and Al Duhail, are expected to put up good displays in the Ooredoo Cup's first round. Al Rayyan will face Al Kharaitiyat in Round 1 (Group B) of the 2020-2021 season Ooredoo Cup at the Al Gharafa Stadium on Friday. The tournament opener features two teams with varying strengths. Al Rayyan had finished runners-up in the recently-concluded 2019-2020 season QNB Stars League with just one point behind Al Duhail, while Al Kharaitiyat got back to the top flight after a gap of one season by emerging as the Second Division champions. Al Rayyan coach Diego Aguirre and his Al Kharaitiyat counterpart Yousef Adam will be fully aware of the importance of the match-up as they also go into the game with the goal of rectifying the errors they made during the first three weeks of 2020-2021 QNB Stars League, which has taken a break. There is no doubt that both Al Rayyan and Al Kharaitiyat will target victory in order to secure a strong start to their Ooredoo Cup campaign. Another match in Round 1 (Group B) of the 2020-2021 season Ooredoo Cup at the Al Gharafa Stadium on Friday will be between Al Gharafa and Umm Salal. It will be a battle of contrasts as Al Gharafa enjoy stability of late mainly in terms of the level of their foreign professional players. On the contrary, Umm Salal are undergoing major changes as far as their players are concerned as some players have left and some are being recruited as the 2020-2021 season QNB Stars League has taken a break after three weeks of action. Umm Salal's Moroccan coach Aziz Ben Askar, himself their former defender, will be keen to make maximum use of his available resources, while his Al Gharafa counterpart Slavisa Jokanovic from Serbia will try to utilise the Ooredoo Cup in such a way that his players regain their form, especially the likes of Algerian midfielder Adlene Guediora who is back from a long injury layoff and some youngsters who have been doing well with the side for quite some time now. Al Arabi will face Al Ahli in Round 1 (Group B) of the 2020-2021 season Ooredoo Cup at the Al Duhail Stadium on Friday. Both teams will definitely target full points as they try to make a strong start to the tournament. Al Ahli are having a good run in the 2020-2021 season QNB Stars League, which has taken a break after three weeks of action, as they top the standings with nine points and an all-win record. The Brigadiers will be keen to sustain the momentum. On the other hand, Al Arabi are languishing at 11th place in the QNB Stars League table with only one point. The Dream Team will try to compensate for their lapses at the beginning of the new season. (QNA)