Al Sadd coach Juan Manuel Lillo ‘Juanma’ spoke to the media ahead of their 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League Week 5 match against Al Sailiya.

“Each team is different from the other, which makes it a difficult opponent. Al Sailiya are a team with a lot of courage and energy. We will fight the match with full force in order to achieve victory and compensate for our last loss against Al Gharafa.

“We know (Rodrigo) Tabata’s level and how important he is not only to Al Sadd, but to any other team. But we cannot hide behind his absence, but it is clear that he is an important player.

“We are developing from one game to another and the players are doing a great job during training and at the matches. We have a lot of confidence in ourselves and we will play to win every match,” said Juanma.

Al Sadd player Talal Abdulla Bahzad, said, “Facing Al Sailiya will not be easy as they are a stubborn opponents and our goal is to provide our best and play the match with full force to achieve victory.

“Against Al Gharafa, we performed well, but we were not lucky in getting the equalizer, at least.”