Al Sadd coach Xavi Hernandez spoke to the media ahead of their 2020-21 season QNB Stars League Week 13 match against Al Sailiya.

“It is important to prepare well before matches. My players should know that Al Sailiya won against Al Rayyan, Al Duhail and Al Gharafa, which means that this match will be difficult especially against the backdrop of the good performances by Al Sailiya.

“Al Sailiya players are in good form and their coach Sami Trabelsi has a lot of experience. He has a very good team – and they have been playing well not only this season but for a long time. It is a team that has quality foreign and local players with lots of experience. Therefore, it will be difficult to get the three points.

“We realize that a difficult match awaits us, but we are going through a good period and we are at the top of the points table. We have to keep playing like we have done in the recent past. We have an eight-point lead over Al Duhail who are second in the standings. We have to take advantage of this before playing against Al Duhail in the following week.

“We must continue like this. We have 10 matches left. We must work hard so that we do not lose any points. My team is ready to win all the matches we get to play and our goal is to regain the league title. We are in the best position in the points table, so we are happy, but we have to maintain this level.

“We are waiting for the return of Akram (Afif), (Boualem) Khoukhi, Hosam Kamal, in addition to the injury of Tarek Salman, but this is not an excuse. We have to win because we feel that we are in good form. Of course, we are talking about important players in the team, but for this reason we have a larger group to replace the injured ones. We miss good players, but we have so many others to do well and help the team win,” said Xavi.
Al Sadd player Ali Asad said, “This match will not be easy especially after Al Sailiya's victory over Al Rayyan last week. Their team has excellent players and they deserve a top position in the points table.

“I was away from the matches for more than 10 months and it was a very difficult period for me. I feel that I am ready and in better shape than I was before the injury. I hope to participate in every match and make the difference for my side. I wish to score many goals in the coming matches.”