Al Sadd hope their Spanish midfield star Xavi Hernandez and Iranian defender Morteza Mohammed recover from their injuries sooner rather than later, and play in their forthcoming matches in the QNB Stars League as well as AFC Champions League.

Xavi injured his back muscle during their key QNB Stars League Week 19 clash against Al Duhail, which they lost 3-4, and had come out of the field in the first half.

Morteza sustained the injury during their 5-0 win over Al Ahli in Week 18.

Al Sadd had also lost to Uzbekistan’s Nasaf 0-1 in their third-round Group C AFC Champions League match in Qarshi on Monday.

Meanwhile, Al Sadd started their preparations for the game against Umm Salal in Week 20 of the QNB Stars League, scheduled for Friday, 9th March. Coach Jesualdo Ferreira gave an extra day’s rest to the players who competed against Nasaf.

Al Sadd are second in the table with 46 points, five behind Al Duhail.