Al Sadd’s assistant coach Nuno Dalmada addressing the media during a press conference held ahead of their opening QNB Stars League match which will be played today at Al Arabi Stadium.
Qatar Cup winners Al Sadd will be looking to begin the new QNB Stars League (QSL) on a perfect note when they take on newly-promoted Al Markhiya in today’s round one fixture at Al Arabi Stadium.
The strong Al Sadd outfit is virtually too good for the QSL newcomers Al Markhiya, but the later’s coach Yousef Adam is confident that his boys will put up a good fight in today’s match.
“Al Sadd are one of the biggest sides in Qatar and will be fighting for the title this season. However that said, my side is fully prepared for this campaign and everyone is ready to their best for the club in this tie,” Al Markhiya’s Qatari coach said when asked about Markhiya’s prospects against Al Sadd.
Adam also thanked his club management for hiring him in the summer.
“I want to express my thanks to the club administration, for their confidence in my abilities and I hope that we can show our abilities over the course of the season to them.”
Speaking at a press conference ahead of their opening tie, Al Markhiya striker Ali Mejbel insisted that they are not fazed by taking on Al Sadd.
“Many people will be predicting an Al Sadd win. However the squad is not going into the game second best. We have shown a good team spirit in preseason and I believe we will be fighting for the points against Al Sadd.”
On the other hand, Al Sadd captain Xavi Hernandez will target nothing less than the silverware for his side to make his last ever season as a professional footballer memorable.
Al Sadd pulled off an impressive 4-2 win against Al Duhail for Sheikh Jassim Cup triumph and their assistant coach Nuno Dalmada is also expecting a tough game.
“Markhiya will be a tough match for us, they come into the league off the back of a undefeated campaign in the second division. They will have plenty of confidence and it will be our job to get the better of them on Saturday,” noted Dalmada.
Dalmada was eager to stress that the team is not getting ahead of themselves.
“Winning last weekend is now behind us, and we have to focus on this match. At the end of the day we now have to look to win this match, and this is the aim from the side.”
“We have a number of players who are injury doubts for the match, due to fatigue. We will be making a decision in regards to the squad after training” noted the Portuguese assistant coach on any key absentees for the side,” he said.
Later, Al Arabi will be aiming to kick-start their QSL campaign with a key win as they take on Al Sailiyah at home.
Coach Kais Yâakoubi insisted that all is well in the Al Arabi camp after a busy summer of player recruitment.
“We are one big family at Al Arabi this season, we have had problems off the field but these are behind us now. I feel we are building a good team which can make the fans proud,” the Tunisian coach said.
“I have great respect for Trabelsi (Al Sailiyah coach), who has done a great job with his team down the years. They have not changed much from last season, and this game will be a real challenge for my side. That said, I feel that we can come away with three points from this tough encounter” added the Tunisian coach on the chances of Arabi this evening.
Meanwhile, Al Sailyah coach Sami Trabelsi confirmed that his side is at full strength for their opening day encounter against Al Arabi.
“We are ready, our camp in Tunisia was a success we played well in our friendlies and I feel that this is one of the best groups of players that we have had at Sailiya in many years. I hope we do well in the league” noted the Tunisian coach.
Trabelsi was also quick to note that he is expecting a tough encounter against Al Arabi. “Every match in the QSL is tough, but especially against Al Arabi who have many new players and a new coach this season.”
Elswhere, Al Khor welcome Al Rayyan to their home turf this evening.
New Knights’ boss Laurent Banide spoke to the local media ahead of his first home game with the new club and admitted that today’s match will put his side to test.
“Al Rayyan are one of the best sides in Qatar and this will be a real test of our training so far. Preseason went well overall with all of the players playing well. Now we have to put this into practice against Al Rayyan.”
“I am lucky to have inherited a good squad at Al Khor and we have strengthened further with a mixture of local and professional players. However our season will not be decided on this result on Saturday.” added Banide when asked about his squad heading into their first game of the season.
“We will need at least four or five games to see our level and make an assessment on how the club is going moving forward,” Banide said.
On the other hand, Al Rayyan will be targeting the QNB Stars League title, with a number of new names joining the team card.
Head coach Michael Laudrup said: “We have had many new players join us in preseason. It is important that they all acclimatise to our style and get settled in order to do their best for the side. This is a gradual process but I feel our team is ready for the match against Al Khor.”
Laudrup also added he is expecting a tough test against away from home.
“Al Khor are a tough opponent, they caused us plenty of trouble last season. We will have to be patient and I hope our team can give a performance that our fans deserve after our preseason.”
“Al Rayyan are not the only side who is fighting for the title. Al Sadd and Al Duhail have further added to their squads this season. They will also be in the title fight, whilst Al Gharafa have added well to their team. We need to play a few games first to decide who will be looking to win the league” noted the Danish coach when asked about Al Rayyan’s title chances this season.
