Al Sadd coach Javi Gracia spoke to the media ahead of their 2021-2022 season QNB Stars League Week 11 postponed match against Al Wakrah.

“We know that we will play against a team which is at its best with very good statistics, both defensively and offensively.

“Al Wakrah are a very organized team and defends well. They play with high pressure and in a dangerous way and close the spaces. And they do not allow the opponents many chances and do not concede many goals, so we have to be ready to do our best.

“I am always happy to have more players in the team, some of them have come back from injuries after a long time, like Pedro, and we have two other players coming back from the Africa Cup of Nations. Now we have more options, but this is not only for us but for the other teams as well and they are in same situation as we are.

“We have a tough, tough match ahead, and it is good to have more players and more options, because I am sure we will need them all for the rest of the season,” said Gracia.

Al Sadd player Abdelkarim Hassan said, “Al Wakrah are playing well and we respect them a lot. They are ranked third and they aspire to rise to second. We, at Al Sadd, aim to continue victories and strengthen our position in the race to the title.

“I am happy with my performance during this period, especially from the Arab Cup until now, and this makes me happy with the new coach. I provide a lot of offensive assistance to my team in light of the development of performance in the recent period and my goal is always to provide good levels and help the team to victories.”