Al Sadd players during their opening match of the season, in this August 1 file photo.
Doha: Defending champions Al Sadd are aiming to bounce back from a shock defeat in their opening match of the QNB Stars League (QSL) 2022-23 season as they meet Umm Salal at the Khalifa International Stadium, today.
The Wolves, who saw an end to their long unbeaten streak in the QSL following a 4-3 defeat against promoted Al Markhiya last week, are targeting full points against Umm Salal, who also went down fighting in their first match of the season.
At a pre-match press conference, Al Sadd coach Juan Manuel Lillo reiterated the absence of club’s Qatari international players attending national training camp for the FIFA World Cup was a good opportunity for youngsters to play in big matches.
“We trust ourselves a lot and all players who are with us at the moment. We are preparing well for the next match against Umm Salal and our goal will be the three points,” Lillo told reporters.
The coach added Umm Salal were impressive against Al Ahli despite their 1-0 defeat in the match.
“I liked Umm Salal team a lot, we watched their last match and they have good players who can decide the matches, so the next match will be very difficult,” he said.
Meanwhile, Umm Salal coach Wesam Rizik termed Al Sadd match important, hoping for a better performance from his side.
“We are currently focusing on facing Al Sadd. We committed some mistakes against Al Ahli, therefore we tried during the preparations to correct these mistakes so that they would not be repeated again,” said Rizik.
“The next match will undoubtedly be difficult for both teams and each of us seeks to compensate after losing the first round,” he added.
Qatar SC eye win over Al Markhiya
Meanwhile, Qatar SC are looking to seal their first win of the season after losing to Al Arabi in the opening week.
Qatar SC coach Yousef Safri said a confident Al Markhiya side poses a tough challenge for his team after their impressive victory over Al Sadd.
“We were not satisfied with the result [against Al Arabi], but we must thank all players for their performance and good reaction. We are looking forward to a positive reaction against Al Markhiya, which will be difficult against a team coming from a victory over Al Sadd with a 4-3 margin,” the Qatar SC coach said.
Qatar SC player Ibrahim Majed said: “We are expecting a difficult match against a team that presented a positive result and qualified from the Second Division, and this situation usually motivates these teams to present a competitive level with the rest of the teams.”
FIXTURES: Week 2
TODAY
5:30pm: Al Sadd vs Umm Salal
At Khalifa International Stadium
7:40pm: Qatar SC vs Al Markhiya
At Education City Stadium
TOMORROW
5:30pm: Al Gharafa vs Al Wakrah
At Khalifa International Stadium
7:40pm: Al Sailiya vs Al Shamal
At Education City Stadium
THURSDAY
5:30pm: Al Ahli vs Al Duhail
At Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium
7:40pm: Al Arabi vs Al Rayyan
At Lusail Stadium
