The battle for the Ooredoo Cup crown starts on Monday, as Al Sailiya will begin their title defence campaign against Al Sadd at Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium.

Formerly known as the QSL Cup, the tournament is held during the recess of the QNB Stars League.

The contest hosts 12 Qatari teams competing in groups based on their standings from this season’s QNB Stars League.

Expectations

Last season, Al Sailiya won the Ooredoo Cup after defeating Al Wakrah 5-4 in extra time.

After plummeting in this year’s QNB Stars League competition however, Sami Trabelsi will attempt to coach his the team into better form as they seek redemption. The Peregrines finished 11th on the leaderboards securing only four points.

Driss Fettouhi, who now plays for Al-Markhiya, scored the clutch penalty for his former Peregrines.

Qatar Sports Club (SC) will also debut in the opening matches of the Ooredoo Cup, confronting Al Wakrah at the Hamad Bin Khalifa pitches.

The match is expected to be challenging for Qatar SC as Al Wakrah has thrived this season with their superstar Gelson Dala.

The Blue Waves have gone undefeated in the QNB league and will no doubt be favourites as they have another run for the championship after last year’s tight loss.

Umm Salal and Al Ahil will compete against one another in Monday’s opener. The two teams have performed below their expectations and will seek a clean break in this match.

Group B teams will face off on Tuesday, with Al Arabi hoping to continue its dominance in the league against Al Shamal.