DOHA (Qatar): Al Sadd coach Xavi Hernandez said he was expecting a tough match against Al Sailiya in the Qatar Stars League (QSL) on Saturday.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Xavi said: “We expect a very difficult match, as Al Sailiya is a good team supervised by a senior coach with lots of experience in the league, Sami Trabelsi. I expect that we will face a lot of difficulty to get the win.”
Sadd are the reigning champions after having won last season’s league shield.
“Al Sailiya always play great matches, the last of which was before the Iranian team in the preliminary round of the AFC Champions League. We suffered against them in the first phase (of the QSL) despite our 3-1 victory; it was not an easy match,” added the Spaniard.
Xavi also said: “We are going through a good period. We are 6 points away from Al Duhail and we are waiting for the loss of Al Rayyan or Al Duhail or a draw in the next match between them.”
And on the upcoming multiple challenges for his side, Xavi said: “We have a lot of matches in many tournaments, we have a match in the Amir Cup after the Al-Sailiya game, and also in the AFC Champions League, but our focus is on the league and on the importance of continuing to win and get closer to the top.”
Xavi continued: “We suffer in front of the mid-table teams. We must face Al Sailiya, like we play against Al-Rayyan and Al Duhail. Some players believe that the game is easy; I have spoken with the players a lot about the fact that the other teams have evolved a lot and about the importance of focusing on each match to avoid losing any point.”
