Al Sadd players celebrate after scoring a goal in this file photo.
The curtain will come down on the Qatar Stars League (QSL) season with six teams vying for honours in the final round today, but all eyes will be on the Al Sadd turf when the home team takes on fourth-placed, El Jaish at 6.20pm.
Second-placed Al Sadd, missing out their shot at the QSL Falcon shield after playing quality football throughout the season, will be looking to put behind the disappointment when they take on strong El Jaish.
Wolves' head coach Jesaldo Ferreira is aware of the threat that El Jaish is capable of putting on, and expressed his views during a press conference held at Al Sadd Club, ahead of their final QSL match of the season.
“This will be an important match, against one of the best sides in the league. I have heard about the fusion and I believe El Jaish will want to end their history on a good note. We will be aiming to stop them, I would also like to congratulate Lekhwiya on winning the title this season.”
“We will be using our first team for this match as we prepare for the cup games” added the Portuguese coach when asked if he will give opportunities to his youth team players.
The Wolves coach, commenting on his side's league campaign, said: "I am satisfied with my work, we have given many opportunities to young players and they have shown their quality this season. We have played well overall, but made some crucial mistakes in certain games.”
Al Sadd have welcomed back midfielder Salem Al Hajri to the team ahead of today's game with the intention of giving him an opportunity to come back to his rhythm ahead of the Qatar Cup and Emir Cup tournaments.
The 21-year-old has been out of the squad since February due to a surgery. The return of Al Hajri will further improve their attack.
Today's match will be El Jaish's last in the Qatar Stars League, since their days are numbered for the merge with the current champions Lekhwiya.
So they will make every effort to sign off on a winning note, despite the huge threat which Al Sadd are capable of posing.
Today's match will also be a dress rehearsal for the Qatar Cup semi-final.
El Jaish’s assistant coach Jean-Marc Kuentz, addressing media ahead of the tie, noted that his side are looking to get back to winning ways. “We lost the last two games, so we need to stop this against Al Sadd. After this game the domestic competition’s will start and these will be the important games for El Jaish moving forward.”
The French assistant coach also revealed the mood of the side after the news of El Jaish merging with Lekhiwya.
“The players and the coach are disappointed to hear the latest news about El Jaish. We are still committed and want to finish the season in the best possible way. It’s difficult for us to understand as we are proud to work for this big club in Qatar.”
Kuentz ended the press conference noting that his side still have plenty to play for.
“We will try and push the players to do their best despite our situation. We have the chance to test ourselves against Al Sadd, along with the domestic competitions and we hope to be strong to the very end.”
