Al Sadd are in such a ruthless form this season that their opening Amir Cup match against Muaither seems like a walk in the park for the Doha giants.
But head coach Xavi Hernandez has cautioned his reigning champions against complacency and urged them to play with their trademark ruthlessness against the Second Division side in the Round of 16 clash.
‘The Wolves’, who defeated Al Arabi 2-1 in the Amir Cup 2020 final at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium last month, are unstoppable in the ongoing QNB Stars League (QSL) season.
Apart from being the only unbeaten side so far, Al Sadd are enjoying a goal-fest, amassing staggering 60 goals from 15 matches as they sit 13 points clear on top of the standings.
However, Xavi yesterday urged his players to put their QSL performance aside and focus on their Round of 16 match against Muaither at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, today.
“This championship has a knockout format, and clubs like Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have been knocked out by second division clubs (in their cup competitions),” Xavi said at a pre-match press conference yesterday.
“We must play with all our strength whoever the opponent is, as all the teams want to reach the final,” he said. Xavi said one of his team’s prime targets is to retain the Amir Cup trophy, rated as the most prestigious football title of the country.
“This championship is very important to us. We look forward to competing in this tournament and winning it,” the Barcelona legend said.
“My message to the players is that we must reach the final. They have the motivation and spirit to reach the final. We lost in the Champions League against Persepolis and we committed a small error which saw us go out while we had the best players. I am not thinking about losing. My only thoughts are on the players and their performance, and preparing them to get the win and to reach the quarter-final,” he added.
Feared Al Sadd striker Akram Afif echoed the coach’s sentiments.
“Some people think that the match will be easy but there are many examples from around the world of teams going out to second division sides. Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa lost to Al Markhiya last season,” Afif said yesterday.
“We need to play with full commitment against Muaither. We are in a good period now and there’s an excellent feeling among the players. We need to be play at our 100% in these games and just one mistake can send us out,” he added.
Like a final for us: Muaither coach
Meanwhile, Muaither coach Mounir Al Jaouani said the Al Sadd clash is like a ‘final’ and his team will be ready to give its ‘best’.
“We know that the match is almost impossible for us, but inside the green rectangle, there are 11 men against 11 men. We have great confidence in our youth and we are ready for the match,” Al Jaouani said yesterday.
“Al Sadd have great players and have a very good coach. They are a well-known team but we are not feeling pressure,” he added.
The match will kick off at 7:15pm.
