Ferreira hints rotation as Sadd host Arabi

Al Sadd are in action in the QNB Stars League just three days aftertheir AFC Champions League win over Dubai’s Al Wasl and coach JesualdoFerreira has spoken about player rotation for the tie against Al Arabitoday.“Our task is difficult. We play every three days between the league andAFC Champions League. This situation will force us to resort to a policyof rotating the players,” said Ferreira of the match dubbed the QatarDerby.Asked whether Qatar international Hassan al-Haydous needed rest in thenext game, the Portuguese coach said, “Hassan is not the only one whoneeds rest. There are 10 other players who need it, and the task isdifficult but not impossible. But what’s reassuring is the greatmotivation of players who seek to win the title and compete for AFCChampions League title as well. That is not impossible since we havealready won the Asian title.“I respect Al Arabi very much, their coach and players. Derbies alwayswitness surprises, so we will not judge Al Arabi by what we saw in theirprevious games. We have to do our best,” he said.Ferreira praised Al Sadd’s performance against Al Wasl in Dubai midweek.“All players showed their potential well even though Al Wasl playedwithout their full squad. In fact, many teams fared well in the firstround of group stage,” he added.Coach Luka Bonacic acknowledged the tough spot his 11th-placed team are in.“We are in a tight spot and we are trying to escape from it. For that,my players must stay fully focused at least in the remaining games. Weare working a lot in training sessions,” Arabi boss said.“Our system of playing is good. We are working out various formations.We had many stats in favour of us during our loss to Al Ahli in the lastgame. For example, we shot many times more than Al Ahli. But then, whatis the use of all that when you do not win?“In the last game, I was angry with our players, especially foreignrecruits, who must know not to go all out with eight or nine players inthe last minutes. Thus, 2-0 became 4-0 against us when the game ended.”Earlier in the day, bottom-placed Al Markhiya will play their first gameunder new coach Adel Sellimi when they face Al Khor at Al ArabiStadium.“In my first match in charge, I certainly want to win and get fullpoints. Both teams have good players. I have watched Al Markhiya’smatches and the team can perform well. A victory will greatly boost theplayers’ confidence,” said Sellimi.“Al Khor have been doing well of late unlike in the first phase, wherethey did not have a good run. We can achieve a positive result bystaying focused and putting up a disciplined performance.”Sellimi has coached some Tunisian clubs and replaced Yousef Adam, whoparted ways with the club following their 2-3 loss to Al Kharaitiyatlast week.Meanwhile, Al Khor coach Nassif al-Bayawi rued the 1-2 loss against Umm Salal last week. “We are disappointed over our loss to Umm Salal, losing three crucialpoints. We have got many negative results and we could have fared betterin many matches,” he said.“We have been working on boosting the morale of the players and we hopepositive atmosphere prevails in the team camp again. Both Al Markhiyaand we have endured bad results. After the loss to Al Kharaitiyat, AlMarkhiya have changed the coach, so we are expecting a strong reactionfrom them.”