Sailiya eye upset against rampant Al Sadd

Another goal-glut appears to be in store as Al Sadd face off with minnows Al Sailiya in the Qatar Stars League today.
Al Sadd are on a rampage, having thrashed Al Rayyan 5-0 and hammered Umm Salal 8-0 in their previous two matches, and Al Sailiya coach Sami Trablesi is well aware his team could be next in the firing line. However, Al Sailiya, too, are on the surge having beaten Muaither 1-0 and Al Gharafa 2-1,  leading Trablesi to entertain thoughts of an unlikely upset.
 “We will do our best against them. We play a team with 13 goals in two games and we scored 13 goals in eleven games!” he quipped.
“But football is a different game.  If we change some things anything is possible. If we start with an objective and stick to it we can achieve big things. A lot of teams lost to Al Sadd with a big score. We have nothing to lose and the pressure is on them,” said Trablesi ahead of the match.
The Tunisian tactician was of the view that defending against a star-studded team would be an exercise in futility.
“We will not defend against Al Sadd, we will attack. Of course, a draw is a good result but we will play to win. Last season we won against them but that doesn’t mean anything now. When we face a big team we are more motivated. Our play depends on the mentality and determination of our players.
“We don’t have many players like the other clubs. So we give opportunities to the players we have. We are playing against one of the best teams in Qatar reinforced with one of the best players in the world, Xavi. We will see how it goes on the pitch as its kind of a challenge.” Al Sadd coach Jesualdo Ferreira, meanwhile, expressed surprise at his side’s huge wins against Al Rayyan and Umm Salal.
 “I expected to win the last two games but I didn’t expect those results. Big results like these don’t always happen. It’s not ideal to judge Al Sadd, Umm Salal and Rayyan by these results. I can say we are just better than these teams because we beat them. We have prepared our team to play offensive and only by scoring you can win,” said the Portuguese.
 “Our group of players is stronger than a few months ago. They know our objective. We are forgetting about the last result and we must start from the beginning. Al Sailiya are not as strong as last year but they are getting to a good level now,” added the Portuguese tactician.
Meanwhile, Al Ahli go head to head against Lekhwiya  today at the Al Ahli Stadium. Al Ahli managed four points in their last five games and are without a win in the last seven. The Brigadiers will be gunning for the win against the former QSL champions Lekhwiya.
Yousef Adam, the head coach Al Ahli, will try his best to get the three points. “We will play with enthusiasm as every match with a will to win. We will try our best to get a good result against one of the best teams in the league,” he said.
 “It was at the end of the season last year that we won against Lekhwiya. We had a lot of determination in the game as we had secured our position in the league. In the last few games, we conceded late goals and we are trying to rectify this.”