Al Rayyan ready to meet Shabab Al Ahli in tough clash

Al Rayyan will take on United Arab Emirates’ Shabab Al Ahli in a strong contest for the Challenge Shield of the Qatar-UAE Super Cup at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on Thursday. The kick-off is at 6pm.
The Lions enter the match following on the heels of their recent morale-boosting 6-2 win over Umm Salal in Week 12 of the Ooredoo Stars League, and will strive to keep up the momentum despite the difference in competition between the two tournaments - the league and the Challenge Shield.
Speaking on Wednesday, on the eve of the match, Al Rayyan coach Artur Jorge said: “It is a great thing to reach this stage, and now we play for a title, but this is a responsibility for the technical staff, the coach and the players. It is a strong challenge and it is one of my goals to achieve a title.”
He added: “I know Paulo Sousa, the coach of the Shabab Al Ahli team very well, his capabilities and his professional career, and I know the rivals and the team’s collective and individual capabilities. The good thing is that our team’s mentality is to achieve victory. The players would need the support of the fans who give them strength inside the stadium, and winning this match will give a great motivation to the team, especially since it would be for a title.”
Al Rayyan player Andre Amaro said: “We have implemented what the coach asked of us, and we corrected some mistakes. We will enter the next match with a winning mentality, and take the positive things from the last match, and at the same time work to correct the flaws. The new coach has come with new ideas, and we will face the rivals with enthusiasm, ferocity and without fear,” he added.
Shabab Al Ahli’s Portuguese coach Paulo Sousa said: “I am happy to be in Doha, and it is also a great thing to be at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, and for me this is a very important and big match and it will be competitive and at a high level. Each team will work hard to win and be crowned with the Challenge Shield.
“The match will be decided on small details. This is how the finals are, and from our side we need to be at the highest levels of focus and work well and give our best to achieve what is required.”
He added: “The players and everyone have the passion and desire to win the title. We have great enthusiasm and look forward to this match with great anticipation and caution.”
Shabab Al Ahli player Saeed Ezzat said: “We respect Al Rayyan and we know the team and their players and how strong they are, but we have one goal which is to win all the championships and compete for the titles.”
The second edition of the Qatari-UAE Super Cup has the participation of 8 clubs - 4 Qatari teams, and 4 Emirati teams, competing among themselves for 4 titles. The first - called the Challenge Shield brings together Al Rayyan, the runners-up of the league championship during the 2023-2024 season, and Shabab Al Ahli, runners-up of the UAE League for the last season as well.
UAE’s Al Nasr, runners-up of the UAE President’s Cup, will meet Qatar SC, runners-up of Amir Cup, for the Super Cup on January 17, 2025, at the Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai.
The clash for the Super Shield will see Al Sadd, the Qatar Stars League title holders, meet Al Wasl, the UAE League champions, on January 18, 2025 at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.
Al Wakrah, the 2024 Qatar Cup champions, will play Al Wahda of the UAE, the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup champions, for the Challenge Cup on January 19, 2025, at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi.