Lekhwiya Coach Djamel Belmadi speaks during a press conference.
Doha: Two finely balanced sides, Lekhwiya and Al Sadd will meet for the 13th occasion in the Qatar Stars League (QSL) in a round-three clash at Lekhwiya Stadium on Sunday evening.
The Red Knights head coach Djamel Belmadi yesterday pointed out that playing against Al Sadd is always exciting.
“The game against Al Sadd, one of the biggest teams in Qatar, will be very exciting. Both teams have amazing attacking players and have an attacking philosophy” noted Belmadi when asked about his expectations of the tie, during a press briefing.
Lekhwiya have a host of returning players from international duty, and Belmadi sees this as a positive for his side.
“It’s a problem for us during the international break. It’s difficult when we work. However, I prefer we are in this situation as it shows we have quality,” Belmadi said.
“It’s all about the players who are fit enough, I have a stronger and better squad now so I can choose from other players without losing the quality. It’s good to have these options this year” noted Belmadi on the possibility of changing his squad for the match.
Looking at the opposition, Belmadi talked up the capabilities of his side, noting that they are fully prepared going into the match
“We will just remind the players how to play against Al Sadd. We are focused on our football and how we can cause them problems,” he said.
Out of the 12 previous occasions in which both sides have won the tie a total of five times along with two draws.
The games have witnessed a total of 37 goals, 21 of them in favour of Al Sadd and 16 for Lekhwiya. The previous season 2015/2016 was highest in terms of the scored goals with 11 goals scored in both league matches.
Al Sadd head into the tie on a two game winning streak in the QSL, head coach Jesaldo Ferriera stressed that his side is playing the form side in the QSL.
“This is a game after a long period of stoppage- we have no excuses going into the match, we will play against the number one candidate for the championship. Lekhwiya have competed for many championships in the past, and this wills a challenge for us,” he said.
The Portuguese head coach also has several players returning to the squad due to international football.
“This is the same problem as Lekhwiya; we will assess the fitness of the returning players and make a call if they are able to play in this game.”
“It’s important we have a good performance and outplay our opponent. We take each game and now we are looking at this game, I have confidence my side can get a good result” noted Ferriera when asked about the good form of his Al Sadd side.
Al Sadd are the early favourites for the QSL title this season, but Ferriera was quick to downplay this.
“After two rounds it’s hard to decide who will win the title. I don’t know why people have said this; we will just focus on getting the result.”
