Al Sadd will aim to make it five wins a row as the reigning champions take on Al Arabi in the QNB Stars League at the Khalifa International Stadium on Friday.
Xavi Hernandez’s men have eased past every opponent they have faced so far, including Al Rayyan in the much touted ‘Qatar Clasico’. Sadd are on joint top spot with arch rival Al Duhail, who have similar record in the league.
Ahead of the Arabi game, Xavi said Al Sadd must continue their good form, with the Spanish coach calling their today’s opponents a tough one. “The next game will be really tough. If we look at the last games against Al Arabi, it was very tough to win in the Amir Cup final, and also when we came back to win 3-2 in the league, when Santi Cazorla scored in the last minute,” Xavi said yesterday.
“It’s a difficult team. We know the coach Younes very well, he is doing a good job. They have nine points. They started the season very well, and they have a good team. This is the truth. They have great foreigner players. They are good in attack, and in defence. Their balance is good. We are talking about a really excellent team so I expect a very difficult game,” he added.
Xavi was pleased with the form his side has shown despite missing some key players like Cazorla. “It’s a derby and we are very motivated. For sure Al Arabi will have extra motivation against us as usual. But I know that we are the favourites and we need to show our level as usual on the pitch.”
“We are doing well and I’m happy. This is the truth and we need to continue like that. Of course we need to improve in some aspects because we are conceding goals due to our individual mistakes. But the rest of it is okay. We are creating many chances and we are playing very well. We have been excellent in some periods of the games,” Xavi said.
Sadd hinted Abdelkarim Hassan and Cazorla could get some minutes against Arabi having recovered from injuries. “We had many injuries but we still have a big group and hopefully we can get some players back to join the team. This the reality. We are going to play the derby and we are extra motivated, so we need to keep going,” he said.
Al Arabi are have also started the season well, occupying third spot in the standing with 9 points from four games. Al Arabi coach Younis Ali said his team was well prepared for Al Sadd challenge.
“My team’s preparations have gone well, just the way we wanted to get ready for the clash against Al Sadd,” he said. “The morale is high especially after the victory over Qatar SC in the last round. We know we have another difficult match ahead of us in a short period of time. The training sessions went well and we spoke about the errors that we made in the last match,” Ali added.
Today’s second match will see Al Sailiya and Al Khor. Meanwhile, the Qatar Stars League made an amendment to the schedule of matches for this week after co-ordination and consultation with the authorities concerned.
The Al Wakrah vs Al Duhail match, scheduled to be held today, has been postponed to a later date due to the health measures that prevent Al Duhail players from participating in training and matches. The Competition Department has been notified to take the appropriate decision.
Xavi Hernandez’s men have eased past every opponent they have faced so far, including Al Rayyan in the much touted ‘Qatar Clasico’. Sadd are on joint top spot with arch rival Al Duhail, who have similar record in the league.
Ahead of the Arabi game, Xavi said Al Sadd must continue their good form, with the Spanish coach calling their today’s opponents a tough one. “The next game will be really tough. If we look at the last games against Al Arabi, it was very tough to win in the Amir Cup final, and also when we came back to win 3-2 in the league, when Santi Cazorla scored in the last minute,” Xavi said yesterday.
“It’s a difficult team. We know the coach Younes very well, he is doing a good job. They have nine points. They started the season very well, and they have a good team. This is the truth. They have great foreigner players. They are good in attack, and in defence. Their balance is good. We are talking about a really excellent team so I expect a very difficult game,” he added.
Xavi was pleased with the form his side has shown despite missing some key players like Cazorla. “It’s a derby and we are very motivated. For sure Al Arabi will have extra motivation against us as usual. But I know that we are the favourites and we need to show our level as usual on the pitch.”
“We are doing well and I’m happy. This is the truth and we need to continue like that. Of course we need to improve in some aspects because we are conceding goals due to our individual mistakes. But the rest of it is okay. We are creating many chances and we are playing very well. We have been excellent in some periods of the games,” Xavi said.
Sadd hinted Abdelkarim Hassan and Cazorla could get some minutes against Arabi having recovered from injuries. “We had many injuries but we still have a big group and hopefully we can get some players back to join the team. This the reality. We are going to play the derby and we are extra motivated, so we need to keep going,” he said.
Al Arabi are have also started the season well, occupying third spot in the standing with 9 points from four games. Al Arabi coach Younis Ali said his team was well prepared for Al Sadd challenge.
“My team’s preparations have gone well, just the way we wanted to get ready for the clash against Al Sadd,” he said. “The morale is high especially after the victory over Qatar SC in the last round. We know we have another difficult match ahead of us in a short period of time. The training sessions went well and we spoke about the errors that we made in the last match,” Ali added.
Today’s second match will see Al Sailiya and Al Khor. Meanwhile, the Qatar Stars League made an amendment to the schedule of matches for this week after co-ordination and consultation with the authorities concerned.
The Al Wakrah vs Al Duhail match, scheduled to be held today, has been postponed to a later date due to the health measures that prevent Al Duhail players from participating in training and matches. The Competition Department has been notified to take the appropriate decision.