Al Arabi will meet Muaither in the opening clash of 2023-2024 season Ooredoo Cup at the Grand Hamad Stadium on Saturday, September 9, 2023. The kick-off is at 6.30pm.

Al Arabi and Muaither are in Group A, which also includes Qatar SC, Al Ahli, Al Wakrah and Umm Salal.

Group B comprises Al Duhail, Al Gharafa, Al Shamal, Al Rayyan and Al Markhiya.

Al Arabi aim to score over Muaither and make a winning start to their campaign in order to compete for the title. The Dream Team were semifinalists of Ooredoo Cup last season, having finished second in their group behind eventual winners Al Duhail.

The match between Al Arabi and Muaither is important for coaches of both teams - Younis Ali of Al Arabi and Jose Murcia of Muaither. The rival coaches will look to exploit the opposition’s weakness and also correct some of their own mistakes that occurred during the recent Expo Stars League games and prepare the players in the best way possible.

Al Arabi had started the season with a 1-1 draw against Al Shamal in the first week of league championship, then tied with Umm Salal with an identical margin in the second week, before playing out a thrilling 3-3 draw with Al Duhail.

Muaither marked their return to the Expo Stars League with an impressive performance. Despite losing in their first two matches of league championship (to Al Wakrah 0-3 and Al Duhail 1-4) they scored a resounding 5-2 win over Al Markhiya, which included a hat-trick from their Congolese striker Guy Mbenza.

Given the absence of some of the international players doing duty for their national teams, coaches of both Al Arabi and Muaither will look to give opportunity to newer players and test the abilities of others in the Ooredoo Cup.