Al Sadd's coach Xavi Hernandez (left) and striker Akram Afif during a practice session yesterday.
Doha: Al Sadd may be one of the front runners to clinch the QNB Stars League (QSL) title this season, but the Wolves' coach Xavi Hernandez is not ready to take the promoted Al Shamal lightly when the two teams meet in a Round 4 clash at the Khalifa International Stadium today.
Al Sadd, the defending champions, will be brimming with confidence following their 4-2 win over strong Al Rayyan side in previous round's 'Qatar Clasico', but the Barca great - Xavi predicted that Al Shamal will be looking to deliver their best.
“Overall, Al Shamal are a good team and we will suffer if we think it is easy to win the match. We respect them a lot and I respect the coach. Their victory over Qatar SC means a lot to them," Xavi said on the eve of the match.
“My players are ready. We want to continue the winning streak. That’s the way to work perfectly. We feel we have a difficult match against Al Shamal. They are new to the league, but they are performing well so far. I was surprised how well they are playing. I watched their match against Qatar SC. They played very well and gave a good performance. They have a good team and their coach, Hicham Jadrane, is doing well. He is brave and wants to play by building attacks," Xavi said.
Al Shamal retained the services of their Moroccan coach after he succeeded in taking the team back to the top plight.
Today, Jadrane's men will be facing a side without some of the stars in the Al Sadd outfit due to injuries. “We will be missing many players because of injuries. We will miss Santi Cazorla, Boualem Khoukhi, Saad Al Dossari and Abdelkarim Hassan. This bunch is very important, but thank God we have a large group of quality players to choose from as replacements,” said Xavi.
However, Xavi has a host of other players at his disposal and one of them - former Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif - stressed that Al Sadd should be fully prepared to face Al Shamal.
“This is an important match and we have prepared well for the Al Shamal clash. We must be fully prepared. Al Shamal beat Qatar SC and were ahead of Al Sailiya before losing that match.
Meanwhile, Jadrane highlighted the fact that Al Sadd are unbeaten since the start of the previous season.
Al Sadd clinched the 2020-21 QSL title with an outstanding record without losing any match. This season also, they are at the top of the standings along with Al Duhail after winning all three of their matches.
“A very difficult game awaits us against a great team who are holders of the title and also have many achievements to their credit. It is well-known fact and they have not lost a match in the league since the start of last season," Jadrane said.
“The differences between us and Al Sadd are very big, whether at the level of players or the team in general, but that does not prevent us from trying our best to present a good match and a level worthy of Al Shamal club. The team is developing from one game to another, and we are happy with the team’s upward level and the performance we put up in the last match against Qatar SC and the distinguished result we achieved and won the three points," the Moroccan tactician said.
The match kicks off at 7:30pm.
Prior to the Al Sadd - Al Shamal match, former champions Al Duhail will take on Al Sailiya at the same venue.
Al Sailiya coach Sami Trabelsi said his team will have to be at their best when they face high-flying Al Duhail who are unbeaten so far this season.
“We must give off our best against an outstanding team like Al Duhail. Whoever does not take advantage of opportunities and waste them easily in front of the goal will pay the price,"Trebelsi said yesterday.
Al Duhail coach Luis Castro said his team is ready for today's match, but said it won't be an easy one. “Al Sailiya are a strong and organized team, and they succeeded in achieving titles last season. We are ready to face them and I am confident in the ability of our players to achieve the desired results, given the strong performance they provide in training," Castro said.
The match kicks off at 4.45pm. In the day's third match, Qatar SC will meet hosts Al Arabi at 7.30pm.
