Tonight at 8:00 PM UAE time, in Doha at Thani bin Jassim Stadium, Sharjah will face Qatari club Al-Gharafa in the UAE-Qatar Super Cup. This match represents a new heavyweight challenge between the two big teams, searching for supremacy and the title. Despite the difficulty of the match against a strong team like Al-Gharafa, Sharjah hopes to repeat its recent scenario of a 4-3 victory over Al-Gharfa from their first-round encounter in the AFC Champions League. Meanwhile, Al-Gharafa will try to avenge this significant defeat. Sharjah aims to dedicate the Super Cup title to its fans, similar to its recent victory in the UAE Super Cup after defeating Shabab Al-Ahli 3-2. Sharjah enters the match in good morale following a valuable recent 3-1 victory over Kalba in the 13th round of the ADNOC Pro League, after a series of negative results. Despite the current circumstances and challenges facing Sharjah—due to its low position in the ADNOC Pro League, sitting 10th with only 14 points, along with some absences in its squad—the technical staff, led by Portuguese coach José Mourinho, has prepared the team well for this match. The Sharjah delegation had already departed for Doha the day before yesterday. The match will also be a new test and challenge for Sharjah's coach Mourinho, who also seeks to place Sharjah in its rightful place as a major club with historical achievements. This will be the fourth match between Sharjah and Al-Gharafa recently. They faced each other in a friendly match in July, which ended with a 1-0 victory for Al-Gharafa. Before that, they also met in a friendly in July 2024, with the match ending in a 3-2 Sharjah victory. Finally, they faced off in the AFC Champions League, ending with a 4-3 Sharjah win. In turn, Al-Gharafa, led by Portuguese coach Pedro Martinez, currently leads the Qatari league after the 13th round with 31 points. The team has also prepared well for this encounter and includes a selection of Qatar's best football stars, including Yacine Brahimi, Fabricio Diaz, Joselo, and Sido Sanu. "The King" aims to crown his second title in the current season after winning the UAE Super Cup over Shabab Al-Ahli.
