Will Al Sadd win the elite Qatar Cup, featuring the top four sides in the QNB Stars League, for a second successive time? That is the question doing the rounds ahead of their semifinal against Al Rayyan on Saturday, 21st April.

The match, that will kick off at the Al Sadd Stadium at 19:00, is sure to generate much interest given the famed rivalry between these two teams and the massive fan support they enjoy.

Al Sadd have been a regular presence in the Qatar Cup and also in its earlier version Heir Apparent’s Cup. They qualified this time after finishing as runners-up in the QNB Stars League.

The Wolves ended up on 49 points with 16 wins, one draw and five defeats.

Al Sadd were very much in the QNB Stars League title race till Week 19, but the 3-4 defeat to Al Duhail after a thrilling game dashed their hopes. Had they won this game, things might have been different as only two points separated them going into their face-off.

Interestingly, Al Sadd had defeated Al Rayyan 3-1 in last year’s semifinal of the Qatar Cup. They went on to beat erstwhile El Jaish 2-1 in the title clash.

Al Sadd have the likes of Barcelona great and FIFA World Cup winner Xavi Hernandez of Spain, Algerian ace striker Baghdad Bounedjah, his counterpart and midfielder Jugurtha Hamroun, Iran international defender Morteza Mohammed, Qatar international Hassan Al Haydous, former Villarreal player Akram Afif, Abdulkarim Hassan and Ali Asad.