Al Sadd’s new coach Jesualdo Ferreira talks to his players during training.

 

By Sports Reporter/Doha


Al Sadd  held its first training session under the watchful eyes of new coach Jesualdo Ferreira, who signed with the club last week to manage the team until the end of the current season.   
The session witnessed the participation of all the key players of the team, who played against Lekhwiya in Round 10 of the Qatar Stars League. As for the reserve players, they are working towards preparing for Round 8 fixture of the Qatar Gas League versus Al Rayyan.   
Ferreira was keen to meet with the players before the start of the session, in the presence of Head of Football Mohammed Ghanem al-Ali, to talk about the most crucial issues concerning the upcoming period and the working method he will put to use.   
The session started with warmup drills under the supervision of the assistant manager before the players moved on to physical training. Later, the team moved on to circulating the ball around in small areas and practiced playing the ball in two touches.   
The team will continue their daily training sessions within the preparations for the Round 11 match versus Al Sailiya, to be played next Friday the 4th December at the Al Sadd Stadium. Al Sadd are currently in the 3rd place within Qatar Stars League table with 21 points.

Jaish defender Mendez set for spell on the sidelines
El Jaish Sports club have confirmed that  defender  Lucas Mendez will be out of contention for six weeks after suffering a fractured cheek bone in his sides 2-1 defeat to Al Rayyan in round 10 of the Qatar Stars League.
The Brazilian defender is scheduled to undergo surgery on the cheekbone at Hamad hospital in the next few hours. El Jaish officials were keen to visit the player in the hospital to check on him and support him during this period; club General Secretary Khamis al-Kuwari joined the defender at his bedside.
Lucas Mendez expressed his gratitude to El Jaish he said: “I am happy to see the Club Management supporting me since the very first moments of my injury, I am confident that the team is capable of covering for me during my absence.”
El Jaish face Qatar Sports Club in round 11 of the Qatar Stars League on Saturday the 5th of December kick off at 18:00pm at the Suhaim Bin Hamad stadium.  

Umm Salal vs Al Arabi … A keen contest
Two teams with top four ambitions will face off at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Friday 4 December in Week 11 of the Qatar Stars League.
Umm Salal will take on Al Arabi, with the respective teams currently occupying fifth and fourth place in the QSL. The Orange Fortress scored a last-gasp goal to draw 1-1 with Al Wakrah in Week 10, while The Dream Team claimed a 1-0 win over Al Ahli.
Arabi currently hold a two-point advantage over Salal, and will be aiming to increase the gap on their rivals in order to cement a place in the top four. A win for Salal, meanwhile, will see them leapfrog their rivals.
Both teams have players in sparkling form going into this crucial game. Salal’s Ivorian striker Yannick Sagbo scored his eighth goal of the season against Al Wakrah, and he’ll be supported by a front line which includes Ismail Mahmoud, Fabio Cesar and former Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere.
Arabi on the other hand will rely on Paulinho to trouble Salal’s defence. The Brazilian striker has already hit the back of the net seven times this season, and will be aiming to continue his good form on Friday.
Both head coaches have impressed so far this season and will be looking to keep up the momentum on Friday. Arabi boss Gianfranco Zola has made a good start in his first QSL campaign, while Salal’s Bulent Uygun will be confident of improving on last season’s seventh-place finish.
History favours Al Khor in upcoming
Al Kharaitiyat tie
Al Khor versus Al Kharaitiyat is considered a key derby match in the QSL. Both sides are currently twelfth and eleventh in the QSL, and will be looking at this tie to pull away from the QSL relegation zone.
QSL online has decided to look back on the previous clashes between the two sides over the last five years.
During the last five seasons of the Qatar Stars League, Al Khor has the superiority with four victories over Al Kharaitiyat. So far the Thunders have only won on two occasions and both teams tied in four matches.
On 2010/2011 season, Al Kharaitiyat won the first leg game by 2-1, while Al Khor won in the second leg match 3-0.
During the 2011/2012 season, Al Khor gained victory in the first leg by three goals to one, whereas Al Kharaitiyat won in the second leg by two goals to one. The 2012/2013 season witnessed Al Khor winning 1-0, followed by a goalless draw in the second leg of the season.
Al Khor won the first leg in  the 2013-14 season 1-0 followed again by a goalless draw in the second leg of the season.
Last season both matches ended in a 1-1 draw. It promises to be an interesting tie when both teams face each other at Al Khor stadium on Thursday the 3rd of December, kick off at 18:30pm.


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