Alkass Digital
Xavi Henandez-coached Al Sadd, the most successful club in the history of QNB Stars League (QSL), will be targeting nothing less than a victory against Umm Salal today.
And for Al Sadd, there's this matter of winning their 15th Falcon Shield.
The Wolves are 13 points clear of their closest rivals Al Duhail, the current holders of the prestigious title, and a win today means the former Asian champions will gain an unassailable lead to enjoy the title glory in front of their home fans.
The match kicks off at 7:15pm.
“It is an important clash for us. We are expected to officially win the league title. In this match, we can be the champions and this is our goal. We depend on ourselves to achieve this and we are happy to be in this position. We are playing at our home stadium and are favourites to win, but everyone knows that Umm Salal are one of the best defensive teams in the league,” Xavi said during a pre-match press conference yesterday.
“We want to win the league without defeat and if we win the three points in this match, we will be the champions, and it is impossible for you to have a stronger motivation than this,” Xavi said.
Al Sadd are the only unbeaten side in the League so far, and they dropped points on only two occasions when they drew against Al Khor in Week 4, and Qatar SC in week 11. Al Sadd, who beat Al Arabi 3-2 in Week 17 before clinching their eighth Qatar Cup title a week ago, have 47 points in front of their name with 15 victories to their credit. Al Sadd also accounts for a magnificent figure of 54 when it comes to goal difference, (66 goals for and 12 against) 35 more than the second placed Al Duhail.
“The players are having fun and the team is having good moments. We won the 2021 Qatar Cup and we are in the semi-finals of the Amir Cup. These are good moments and we should take advantage of them,” the Barca great added.
Al Sadd had beaten Umm Salal 3-1 in the first leg of the season.
“We respect Umm Salal a lot as they have a good coach and good foreign players, especially in the heart of the defense, and then in the front they have Hammoud and Kayke and they are two big players.
“It will be really difficult to score goals against this team. We are a team that plays to win and we are a big club in Qatar. In my opinion, we are the best team in the country at the moment. Our goal is to win titles and enjoy playing football.
“When we started the season, everyone told us that our main goal was to win title. We got close to our goal and won many titles, but we have to continue and continue the journey like this. We have to be in the best readiness. We need to focus and we need the same ambition and to continue in the same manner and certainly we have a larger group of players to win the league title and, God willing, the Amir Cup title also,” the Al Sadd coach revealed his team’s ambition on a triple crown this season.
Al Sadd have already booked a place in the next AFC Champions League, and the Spaniard, who has represented the team at the competition both as a player and a coach, said the team is preparing for the continental stage.
“Al Sadd have shown an excellent level and with their mentality, the players succeeded in dealing with the various tournaments. As I spoke previously, our goal is to win all the championships, we exited the Champions League last season, but we did not stop. We continued to work and compete for all the tournaments this season and we will prepare well for the next Champions League,” Xavi said few days ago.
Umm Salal, who lost to Al Ahli in the previous round, are currently sitting at the ninth spot in the QSL standings with 15 points in their account, having registered three wins, six draws and eight defeats. They scored eight goals and conceded 18. The Orange Fortress and Al Wakrah both have the same number of points, but the former are placed ahead on better goal difference.
Umm Salal coach Aziz Ben Askar is well aware that the hosts are the clear favourites in today’s match, but the Moroccan tactician said his team’s plan is to stay focused and patient.
“Nobody needs to know the strength of Al Sadd. Everyone knows their team and we know that they are strong. We respect our identity and respect our plans. We need to respect work and preparation for this match. This means that we must be patient but fight against them,” Askar said during a pre-match press conference yesterday.