Al Sadd on a high after crushing win over Al Rayyan

Al Sadd coach Jesualdo Ferriera could hardly hide his glee as he spoke about his team’s crushing win over Al Rayyan in the Qatar Stars League last week.
“Against Al Rayyan the result wasn’t expected but I am delighted with how my side preformed. The players where happy and now we go into the game against Umm Salal today full of confidence,” the Portuguese national told reporters yesterday.
Ferriera also said that his side can gain plenty of positives from the Al Sadd result.
“The game against Al Rayyan was almost perfect, we showed a good performance throughout and the whole team played at a very high level. This shows our confidence and the team that it is possible to get big results against great teams in the league.”
 Talk turned  Umm Salal, with Ferriera calling for plenty of concentration from his team. “Umm Salal are a good team who have quality players. I expect them to test us, however I trust my players they know what to do to win this game. We need the three points to be at the top of the league.
 “The game against Umm Salal will not be easy. When you come from a big result you have a huge responsibility so we need to concentrate against this side,” added the tactician.
Ferriera ended the press conference revealing that his squad will step up in the absence of Jurgutha Hamroun  “All players are very important.  Hamroun is missing for this game and the player who will replace him will be ready. His absence will not affect the collective spirit of the team going into the game.”
Meanwhile, Lekhwiya will be aiming to put pressure on table-toppers El Jaish when they take on Al Kharaitiyat in the Qatar Stars League today.
Coach Djamel Belmadi is on a high after his team handed El Jaish their first defeat of the season last week to climb to second spot in the standings and wants to further underline his team’s credentials as they target their fifth QSL title.
 “After the good performance against El Jaish, we want to look forward to win the game and get the three points. This year we have many teams fighting for the first place and the standings are tight so we cannot slip up against an Al Kharaitiyat and loose points,” Belmadi said at his pre-match press conference.
 The Algerian tactician also went on to stress that his side must perform against teams with a lower standing in the league despite their headline grabbing win over El Jaish last time out.
“Week in week out we have seen how teams in relegation trouble can cause issues for the bigger sides in the league. Lekhwiya has to show the right mentality and attitude against Al Kharaitiyat in order to win.”
 Belmadi was also eager to talk up youth prospect Moaz Ali who made the difference against Jaish. “Moaz came on and scored the winning goal.  Last season we struggled with our squad. This year I have a better and bigger squad. Every game I have young players on the bench, which is important to develop the club.
  “As the season progresses I will need everybody, especially when we are fighting in many different competitions” added Belmadi.
As for Al Kharaitiyat, they are at rock bottom of the QSL standings and will be hoping for an upset. Their Tunisian head coach Ahmad al-Ajlani was of the opinion that anything can happen in a football game.
 “There is no game in football that can be lost without being played. Lekhwiya will be the favourites, but at the end of the day we will be playing eleven against eleven. We will need luck on our side to get this win.”
The Tunisian also revealed his side’s approach going into the game. “Each coach is looking for a balance between defence and attack. We have to play with discipline against Lekhwiya. We have to take care and be at full focus throughout the tie.