Saturday, 12th October, 2019

19:40 kick-off at Al Ahli Stadium

Al Duhail are up against Al Gharafa in a 2019-20 season Ooredoo Cup Round 1, Group B match at the Al Ahli Stadium on Saturday.

Group B also has Al Khor, Al Arabi, Al Sailiya and Qatar SC.

It is going to be an interesting contest, given the depth in squads of both teams and also their positions in the QNB Stars League despite the fact that Al Duhail and Al Gharafa will be without the services of some Qatari players and foreign professionals who are doing duty for their countries.

Some players on both sides are nursing injuries as well.

The tournament is a great opportunity for coaches Rui Faria (Al Duhail) and Slavisa Jokanovic (Al Gharafa) to test various combinations and try out more young players in the absence of seniors.

Al Duhail and Al Gharafa will also be keen to start off their campaign with three points that will be crucial to their qualification for the knockout stage, which begins from the quarterfinals. And they both are strong contenders for the title.

Al Duhail are presently topping the QNB Stars League table with 14 points, while Al Gharafa are fifth with 11 points after six rounds of action.