The Peninsula
Muaither SC will not focus on the ‘big stars’ in the Qatar SC ranks but rely on their own strengths when they take on Sergio Batista’s side in the QNB Stars League play-off match at the Al Duhail Stadium today.
The match pits the 11th-placed team against Second Division runners-up Muaither SC, with winner getting a berth in next season’s QSL.
“If we look at them as a strong team with big stars such as Samuel Eto’o, we will lose the match. But I have asked my players to think about the strong season we have had, the great games we played and the opportunities we took. I also told them not to look at the names. It’s 11 players against 11 players,” said coach Philippe Burle, on the eve of the match.
“I think our team has made good progress. We will now play against Qatar SC, a team with great experience, but we will focus on the strengths of our team,” he added.
Looking back at the season Burle said he was satisfied with the performance of his players and expressed confidence that they will taste success in the play-off match.
“We have had a good season, but it was difficult and we could qualify for the play-off ahead of Al Markhiya. We must appreciate the efforts of the players and we hope that our efforts will succeed.
“We had made a strong start in the Second Division this season and we were in the lead at some stage. But in the end, the best team (Al Wakrah) won. There is no comparison between us and them. Al Wakrah had strengthened their ranks during the winter transfer period by recruiting some good players,” he added.
For Qatar SC coach Sergio Batista the match is a ‘final’ as the winner takes it all.
“We did not have much time to prepare for this important game. There are things to work on, especially the physical and tactical aspects. We consider this match as final.”
Batista said Muaither was a formidable opposition and said his players are fully geared up for the challenge which lies ahead of them.
“We will face a strong team in Muaither SC and the players are ready for the contest. They are staying highly focused because they consider this game as crucial.
“We are talking to the players about the importance of the game and we are motivating them to play it as hard as they can as it will determine the fate of the team,” he added.
“I see Muaither SC as strong competitors. They have good players in defence and also in attack. We worked well to deal with them. We will try to stop them from launching offensives and find gaps in their defence. We are very confident that our players will do their best,” said Batista.
Qatar SC player Ali Saeed Al Mohannadi said, “The chances of both teams are equal. We did not want to reach this stage, but now we have to deal with the reality. We are aware of the importance of this match, so our preparations are going well. We are focused. We are counting on the support of our fans.
The match will kick off at 6:45pm.
According to the regulations, if the play-off match ends in a draw after regular time, an extra time of 30 minutes, of two halves, will be allowed. If the deadlock still continues, the match will be decided in a penalty shoot-out.