Al Sadd look to continue unbeaten run in El Clasico

Qatar football powerhouse Al Sadd host arch-rivals Al Rayyan in the much-awaited El Clasico clash on Tuesday.
Postponed from Round 14 of the QNB Stars League, the two teams lock horns at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium with kick-off set for 6:15pm.
The match was postponed when a number of Al Sadd players were found to be Covid-19 positive earlier in the season.
Al Sadd, with QNB Stars League title already secured, will be looking to remain unbeaten in the season in which they have posted an astonishing 18 wins out of 20 matches.
Al Rayyan, on the other hand, are at a poor 10th spot just above Al Sailiya and Al Khor, who are at the bottom.
Currently sitting pretty with 56 points, Al Sadd will be looking for their 19th win of the season while Al Rayyan – coached by Nicolas Cordova of Chile – have accumulated 21 points with 5 victories, 6 draws and 9 losses.
Al Sadd, who beat Al Ahli 4-0 in their Amir Cup match on Sunday, are brimming with confidence ahead of their clash against Al Rayyan who fired French World Cup winning star Laurent Blanc as coach last month.
Al Sadd’s Spanish coach Javi Gracia yesterday said his team will be looking to pick up three points.
“We will not hesitate to play all the tricks in the book. We want the three points and continue our winning streak,” Gracia said.
Al Sadd defender Pedro Miguel will miss the clash because of suspension while influential team captain Hassan al-Haydos is out injured.
Gracia said yesterday: “We want to play with the same level that we did during the regular season. We are the champions and now we are eager to remain unbeaten this season.”
He added: “Facing Al Rayyan will be difficult. It’s a popular match-up between two good teams. Our goal, however, will be to get the win and complete the team’s march without losing a game.”
Gracia said: “For us, all matches are important. We know a strong match awaits us in the Amir Cup semi-finals, but we must play two league matches first. We will try to choose the best players for each match.”
Al Sadd player Mohamed Waad said yesterday: “Al Sadd, this season, is an integrated unit which is capable of winning and competing for all championships. Our goal is to minimise errors and remain focused in all our upcoming matches.”
Waad added: “Facing Al Rayyan is always difficult but we are fully prepared for the match. Al Sadd is playing with great harmony. Our team’s focus is currently on facing Al Rayyan and Al Wakrah.”
Al Rayyan coach Nicolas Cordova said yesterday: “Al Sadd is different from other teams and therefore we are eager to present a strong show on the pitch and field the best squad possible.”
Al Rayyan will rely heavily on feared strike Yohan Boli of Ivory Coast, Algerian Yassine Ibrahimi, Colombian star James Rodriguez and Qatar national team player Abdelaziz Hatem.
“They have played a long time without a defeat. Clearly this will be a difficult match for us but my team will try to do the best in this game,” Cordova said.
“Everyone knows that during the last 21 days, we have played five matches. Usually during a period like this you play only three matches but we played five. I guess this is the situation available to us and we will try to give our best,” he added.
On the exit from the Amir Cup, Cordova said: “Certainly it was a sad exit though the team gave its best. There was great effort from the boys. We lost on penalty kicks. The important thing is that we succeeded in making our young team compete fiercely with the top clubs in Qatar.”
Abdul Rahman al-Karbi, the Al Rayyan player, said yesterday: “We will enter the Al Sadd match like any other clash. The season is not over. We have the Ooredoo Cup after the Amir Cup and the League. Then we play the AFC Champions League.”