TASK CUT OUT...Amotta
By Sports Reporter/Doha
It speaks volumes of the uncertainty of sport that a team who at one stage appeared to have the Qatar Stars League title comfortably in their grasp are now getting jittery about their closest rivals gatecrashing their party.
Such has been Al Sadd’s luck over the past two months that they can’t be blamed for thinking maybe they are in the grip of a jinx. The title, which seemed like a cakewalk at one point of time, must now be contested fiercely until the winners are decided on April 18.
“This is a very important game for us. All games are important for us because we are the leaders right now.
“We cannot afford to lose any more points this season. We have made mistakes and I think it’s time to learn,” Al Sadd coach Hussein Amotta said ahead of today’s game against Al Gharafa.
Al Gharafa, of course, are nowhere in the picture as far as the race to the title is concerned, but a free-spirited approach resulting in a victory for them today could cut Al Sadd’s lead to just two points.
Al Sadd, who didn’t qualify for this season’s Asian Champions league, played their last competitive game on March 3 against Al Khor, which resulted in a disappointing draw.
Al Gharafa, on the other hand, are in the thick of the Asian tournament. On Tuesday they thrashed the UAE’s Al Nasr 4-2 and Amotta appeared wary of the momentum the yellow shirts could carry into the game against Al Sadd.
“We haven’t had many games recently and that’s been difficult for the players to keep their motivation,” conceded the Moroccan, who nevertheless added that winning the QSL remains a personal ambition.
“It would mean everything to me to win this title. It would be nice to have this to my name,” he said
“I won the title in Morocco, I won the African Champions League in 2010 and I now need this to add to it.
“I have a history with the club as a former player so it means a lot to me.”
Al Gharafa’s new coach Habib al-Sadiq said his team’s morale was high after their exploits on the Asian stage.
“For sure our confidence is higher after the Champions League match. The players know what a great result that was for us,” said al-Sadiq, who took over from Alain Perrin
“But if we can take a victory from this game, to beat a team like Al Sadd will give us even more confidence.
“If we’re honest we know it’s going to be difficult. For most of the time we have been focused on the Champions League so most of our attention has been with that tournament.
“We have very little time to recover from that tournament but it’s crucial we re-focus and get ready for this game now.”
The match will be played at Al Sadd Stadium at 6.30pm.