Al Sadd's coach Xavi Hernandez (centre) looks on during a practice session ahead of their QNB Stars League Round-15 match.
Xavi Hernandez-coached Al Sadd are enjoying a dream QNB Stars League (QSL) season in which they remain the only unbeaten team so far.
Al Sadd's excellent run of form is an indication that their winning streak is likely to continue when they take on the relegation-threatened Al Khor side in their Round-15 clash today in front of their home crowd at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
Al Sadd are far ahead of the rest of the chasing pack in the League this season, having amassed 38 points from 12 wins and two draws.
Incidentally, one of their draws was against Al Khor, who managed to hurt the Wolves in the fourth round as both the teams failed to score.
They are 10 points clear of their closest rivals Al Duhail, who drew 1-1 with Qatar SC in yesterday's Round-15 match.
Only few teams have so far managed to penetrate the 14-time champions' net as Xavi's men enjoy a massive goal difference of 38 with only 10 goals scored against them.
The situation is totally opposite when it comes to Al Khor's figures. With only two wins, eight losses and four drawn games, Al Khor are showing signs of disarray, but Barca great Xavi is not ready to take them lightly.
“Everybody remembers that we drew against Al Khor. They are one of the two teams that we lost points against,” Xavi said during a pre-match press conference yesterday.
"They’re in a good moment after defeating Al Ahli," Xavi said, referring to Al Khor's 2-1 win last week.
“It will be a difficult game. We are in a good moment but we cannot lose points. We have to maintain the distance from the rest of the clubs. After a big win over Duhail, we need to concentrate, be focused and keep going,” Xavi said.
“It will be tough because they are aggressive and well-organised. They have a good defence and also have new foreigner players.”
The League has just crossed the halfway point, and the teams still have eight matches to play and a maximum of 24 more points are up for grabs for each team. Despite the big lead at the top of the table, Xavi reiterated there was still a long way to go.
“Of course, we accept that we are favourites to win this competition but we have not won anything yet,” the coach said.
“We have 8 difficult games remaining. Everybody knows that all the teams have improved a lot in the QSL, especially in the last two seasons.”
"The message is really clear: we cannot relax. This is football and we have a lot of experience and know that if we relax, everybody can defeat Al Sadd," Xavi daid.
Meanwhile, Al Khor's assistant coach Mustafa Al Sweheb said that they were one of the two teams (the other being Qatar SC) that managed to draw against Al Sadd this season.
"Now, we are required to work and focus on the field, we are playing against a strong team and certainly pressure is on them and on us. Also, we hope to perform well in this match and at the desired level. Our team needs offensive and defensive balance, and we see that there are good signs in the team, and support in the midfield will benefit the team and we will definitely have our way," Al Sweheb said.
“Our preparations for the Al Sadd match were normal, as are all matches, and we are mentally and physically prepared, and we hope that we will achieve the goal that we aspire to,” Al Sweheb said on the eve of the clash.
The rest of today's fixtures are: Al Kharaitiyat vs Al Gharafa (4:30pm, Al Ahli Stadium) and Al Sailiya vs Al Ahli (7:00pm, Al Ahli Stadium).
