Al Sadd coach Javi Gracia spoke to the media ahead of their 2021-2022 season QNB Stars League Week 18 match against Umm Salal.

“Umm Salal are a good team, we can look at the team’s stats. They lost in only four matches, did not concede many goals and did not give the opponents many chances. They have a very good balance and we are ready to compete with all strength in order to win and get the three points.

 “We played most of the Al Gharafa match with 10 players, and now at this moment we are focusing on the team’s recovery. We will be ready to compete again in order to record a new victory.

“It is not easy to play with 10 players for a long time against a good team. It was a big game for us because it is not easy to play with 10 men and we controlled the game,” said Gracia.

Al Sadd goalkeeper Meshaal Barshim said, “A difficult and strong match. Umm Salal are always stubborn competitors and offer good levels. Our goal is to keep winning and gain another three points.

“The team’s successive victories give us a great incentive to continue working and make more efforts to get closer to winning the league title, and to compete strongly for the remaining titles for the sake of our fans.”