Xavi excited about facing Al Rayyan in ‘Qatar Classico’

Al Sadd captain Xavi Hernandez has said the ‘Qatar Classico’ matchbetween his side and Al Rayyan on Friday would highlight the best ofwhat the QNB Stars League has to offer.Al Sadd have yet to taste defeat this season, comfortably winning theirfirst five games in the league, and the match against Al Rayyan will be astern test of their title credentials.“Both sides like to play strong attacking football and the match will begood to watch. Al Rayyan are one of the strongest teams in the QNBStars League and I’m personally looking forward to the game. It’ll be agreat Classico for everyone in Qatar,” said Xavi in an exclusiveinterview with QSL Online.“Matches against Al Rayyan are always important for Al Sadd. Last year,we played them in the Emir’s Cup final and we needed a last-minutewinner. That’ll be our inspiration heading into the game and I hope wecontinue our strong start to the season.“Barcelona against Real Madrid is considered as the ultimate clasico inEurope. Here in Qatar, our match with Al Rayyan is considered as thebiggest and this is shown by the build-up in the country by the fans andmedia ahead of the match. The atmosphere is going to be special,” themidfielder said when asked about his thoughts on the Friday-eveningclash.The former Barcelona and Spain great opined Al Rayyan’s new additions could prove important in the match.“Al Rayyan bought well in the transfer window this season, addingquality professional and local players to their side. In attack, they’veRodrigo Tabata and Sebastain Soria, and have added more goals withAbderrazak Hamdellah, who is already scoring for them. Defensively, theymay’ve lost Victor Caceres, but they’ve added Mohammed Kasola and AbdulMaqsoud, two of the best defensive players in the league,” he said. Xavi stressed that Al Sadd have to assert their supremacy in themidfield and that’ll be crucial if The Wolves are to continue theirunbeaten start to the season.“We’ve kept the core of the side that did so well last season, we’veadded quality in Boualem Khoukhi and Fahad al-Abdulrahman from Eupen.Both players will be important for us on Friday, and over the course ofthe season, as we look to compete for all trophies,” said Xavi.Ending the interview, the playmaker outlined Al Sadd’s targets from what could be his last season as a professional footballer.“The objective is to win the league title this season. Last year, we wonthe Qatar Cup and Emir’s Cup.  Now, our aim is the QNB Stars League,which can only be won by the most consistent side in the country. It’sthe main target, but we also want to progress in all competitions thatwe compete in this season,” Xavi concluded. (QSL.com.qa)