Al Wakrah coach Marquez Lopez and Al Sadd coach Xavi Hernandez.
Trust tough taskmaster Xavi Hernendez, the Al Sadd coach, to crank up the pressure on his players when needed.
Doha football giants Al Sadd have shown a fierce performance on the field in the 2020-21 QNB Stars League so far – scoring 27 goals from only seven matches.
The Wolves are the only unbeaten side in the new season, leading the points standings with six wins and a draw.
And yet, coach Xavi, whose prime target this year is to win the league after their heartbreaking exit in the AFC Champions League, wants his ranks to double up their efforts if they want to bring back the coveted Falcon Shield at Al Sadd trophy cabinet.
The Wolves will meet sixth-placed Al Wakrah, another side who are having a good run of form, in their Week 8 clash at Al Duhail Stadium today. Spain and Barcelona legend Xavi yesterday described Al Wakrah as an ‘in-form team’, which have one of the best coaches in QSL and professional players.
“The clash will be very difficult because Al Wakrah are coached by Marquez Lopez, who is considered as one of the best coaches in the league now. They also have distinguished professional players such as (Cristian) Ceballos, Isaias (Sanchez), (Mohamed) Benyettou, Ousmane Coulibaly and Lucas Mendes. Even their home-grown players have improved greatly and are playing well,” Xavi told a pre-match press conference yesterday.
Xavi expressed satisfaction with his team’s form but said consistency is required to achieve the target of winning the title.
“It requires us to make more efforts because all matches are difficult. We have to continue with this level. We are doing everything the right way and now we have no room for complacency. All matches are difficult as I mentioned and we have to win the three points (against Al Wakrah),” Xavi said yesterday.
Seasoned midfielder Rodrigo Tabata, formerly with Al Rayyan and the Qatar national side, yesterday said that his team is ready to take on Al Wakrah.
“This is an important clash in which we have to play with high concentration and the players must do their best to win it. The training was strong this week and I hope that everyone will show a good level in the match,” Tabata, 40, said yesterday.
“We respect Al Wakrah, who is a team with high-level players. However, we will be stronger considering that the coach has more options and I hope the selected players will appear at an ideal level that gets us the win,” he added.
Al Wakrah coach Marquez Lopez hoped his team, who defeated Al Sailiya 3-1 in their previous clash, will give a good performance in a tough match against Al Sadd.
“We will strive to be on the winning path, which is what we all work for at the club, be it the technical and administrative staff or the players. I know that all matches are difficult in the league. God willing, we will continue to win,” Lopez said yesterday.
“Al Sadd are a strong team and a difficult match awaits us of course, but we will definitely try. At this moment, Khaled Muneer and Ahmed Moein will be absent due to their injuries. Hopefully, all others are ready,” he added.
Al Wakrah player Abdullah Hussein Al Muftah said yesterday: “We are ready to collect three points and all we need is to follow the coach’s instructions and implement them. We know that it is a difficult match without a doubt, but we hope to succeed.”
The match will kick off at 7:45pm.
