Al Sadd, despite their outstanding unbeaten run this season, will not be taking eighth-placed Al Sailiya lightly when the two sides meet in the opening fixture of the 13th Round of QNB Stars League.
Spaniard Xavi Hernandez (pictured), head coach of Al Sadd, yesterday said that Al Sailiya, who have defeated defending champions Al Duhail and high-flying Al Gharafa in the earlier rounds of this season’s QSL before pulling off a 2-0 stunner against Al Rayyan last weekend, will be a tough nut to crack.
“Al Sailiya is our next opponent and we must know that they defeated Al Rayyan, Al Duhail and Al Gharafa. It means the game will be difficult, especially as they work really well in defence. They follow man-to-man marking almost all over the pitch, and their coach Sami Trabelsi has a lot of experience,” Xavi Said during a press conference on the eve of the match.
“They are doing really well and it’s a really good team, and not just this season, but for a long time over many seasons. Their foreigner and local players are very experienced so it will be really tough to get the three points,” he added.
Al Sailiya are placed eighth in the QSL standings with 15 points. Apart from the giant-killing performances, they also defeated struggling Al Kharaitiyat in round-3. They drew three matches and have lost five.
On the other hand, former champions Al Sadd, favourites to win the Falcon Shield this time, are yet to lose a game and are eight points clear of their closest rivals - Al Duhail at the top of the standings with 32 points.
“We are on the top of the table and we have to keep going,” Xavi said.
“We have an eight-point difference with Al Duhail and we have to take advantage of this game before playing against Al Duhail (in the next round).”
“We are in the best position, at the top of the table and we are really happy because the performance has been really good,” the Barca great said.
“All the players have been performing well and we must keep going like this,” he said.
“There are ten games remaining and we cannot lose points. We have to keep the advantage until the end. And of course the target is to win this competition, and we are in the best position in the table.
“So we are happy but we have to keep this level.”
In today’s encounter, Al Sadd will miss three players due to COVID-19 infections, Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif, Khoukhi Boualem and Hussam Kamal. Tarek Salman will also be absent due to an injury, but Xavi is positive that the rest of the players will be able to pull off a good show.
“We have to wait, we have to be patient. Of course we are unlucky that we are missing three players due to COVID-19. Tarek is also injured. But it’s not an excuse to win because we feel that we are in a good moment and position,” he said.
“Of course we are talking about important players of the team, but that’s why we have a bigger squad to replace these players.”
“We are missing all of them but we have many players to do a good job,” Xavi added.
His opposite number, Trabelsi said his team is determined to have a solid game against Al Sadd.
“We will enter the game against Al Sadd with great enthusiasm. We are determined to have a solid game against Al Sadd. Yes, it will be a difficult match. Al Sadd, as we know, are described as one of the best teams in Asia. Playing against a big club like Al Sadd is not easy and the match in itself will be very difficult. Everyone knows who Al Sadd are and that they have not lost a single match so far,” the Tunisian said.
“They have had the most stable season so far. They have the best offensive line and the best line of defence. Al Sadd include many distinguished players at the local, Asian and international levels. We know that a difficult match awaits us against a strong team, but let us not forget that there is nothing impossible in football. We always have the ambition and determination to do well when we enter a match,” Trablesi added.
The match will kick off at Al Sadd Stadium at 4.15pm. Later - at the same venue - Al Rayyan will take on Al Gharafa while Qatar SC hosts Al Kharaitiyat in the third match of the day.
