Muscat: Defending champions Seeb will focus to defend their title in the His Majesty's Cup football 2022-23 when they meet Al Suwaiq in the semifinal first leg on Monday. The match will start at 17:20 at Seeb Stadium.
In the other semifinal, last edition runners-up Al Rustaq will host Al Buraimi representatives Al Nahda at Al Rustaq Sports Complex. The fixture will begin on Monday at 19:40.
All the teams who confirmed their presence in the last-four stage of the coveted cup are positioned in
the top order of top-flight Omantel League. Al Nahda are leading the table order with 38 points while Al
Suwaiq are positioned second with 32 points followed by Al Rustaq in third place with 31 points. Seeb are in fourth position with 26 points.
Despite their positions in the Omantel League, Monday's both matches are classified as intense clashes and may decide the nearest final representatives for the scheduled final encounter on March 9 at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher.
Seeb, coached by experienced Rasheed Jaber, will depend on different key players including Abdulaziz al Maqbali, Mohsin al Ghassani, Mohammed al Musalami, Eid al Farasi and others . The team geared up for this match with series of internal training sessions at the club headquarters in Al Khoudh.
Seeb ended their last game in the league with a 1-0 win over Sur on Wednesday. Seeb’s star Salah al Yahyaei scored the only goal and he is among the top members in the squad.
For the semifinal, Seeb’s board of directors decided to open the stadium doors free for all the fans to attend and cheer the team.
Al Suwaiq, on the other hand, will eye for a bright ending of their season in the HM Cup competition.
Al Suwaiq coach Ibrahim Sumar led his team to a crucial win in the previous round of Omantel League as they beat Al Nasr 2-0.
The team is showing the best technical performance currently with no injuries as main scorer Issam al Subhi is back to the field. Al Suwaiq features strong players in the squad including Ahmed al Khamisi and Fayez al Rushedi. The northern Batinah team’s last title was in 2016 and they would like to rekindle the memories again this year.
In the Monday's late match, Al Nahda, who are chasing their historic title, will target to overcome Al Rustaq to be a step ahead from the long awaited title.
Coach Hamed al Azani’s men are on the right track in the top-tier league as the team is leading the league order with a comfortable difference than Al Suwaiq by six points. The team will work hard to lift the two top domestic titles this season.
Al Rustaq will look forward for another top show in this year's HM Cup as they had registered their names in the top honours of the last season by reaching to the final game. Despite their drop in the last game against Oman Club in the Omantel League, Al Rustaq players will be eager to clinch a positive result in last-four match against Al Nahda.
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