Al Sadd to bank on in-form players against Al Wasl

DOHA: Football giants Al Sadd are delighted to welcome back national team players for their AFC Champions League clash against UAE’s Al Wasl today.

Star striker and captain Hassan Al Haydos, reliable midfielder Abdul Kareem Hassan, rising foward Akram Afif, defender Pedro Miguel and goalkeeper Saad Al Dosari played key roles in guiding Qatar to title glory in Iraq last week.

Coach Jesualdo Ferreira said yesterday: “It was a good performance from our international players (who were) with the national team. That is a great motivator for us, especially after winning the International Friendship Championship in Iraq. All those players have the confidence and motivation to do well going into this match.”

Al Sadd are at the top of Group C with nine points from four matches. Second-placed Persepolis of Iran also have nine points.

The veteran Portuguese coach said Al Wasl, despite being already eliminated from this year’s championship, remained a potent threat in the game at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.

“The game will not be easy. Everyone knows that there is a psychological aspect to such matches,” Ferreira said. “We are looking to get three points and seal our qualification to the next round,” he added. “The players are looking confident,” he said.

“We will be up against a fighting team and it is a very important match for us. It is important that the team wins and that we qualify for the second round. We have no excuse not to win tomorrow at home, in front of our own fans,” he added.

Defender Hamed Ismail said yesterday: “We have worked hard during the last few days that we got off from the league. The team is fully prepared, especially after the return of our international players. We are looking at a win and we will play to win.”

Ismail added: “Our goal is to go advance in the AFC Champions League. We want to compete for all the events we take part in. We will try to go the distance but with a step-by-step approach to achieve our goals.”