Lekhwiya take on Al Sadd in the QSL match of the week for round three on Sunday evening at Lekhwiya stadium. The Red Knights head coach Djamel Belmadi gave his thoughts to the local media during the pre-match press conference on Thursday morning.

“It’s a derby game always a big game to play against Al Sadd one of the biggest teams in Qatar. It will be an exciting game to play. Both teams have amazing attacking players and have an attacking philosophy” noted Belmadi when asked about his expectations of the tie.

Lekhwiya have a host of returning players from international duty, however Belmadi sees this as a positive for his side; “It’s a problem for us during the international break as we most 12-13 players. It’s difficult when we work. However I prefer we are in this situation as it shows we have quality.”

 “It’s all about the players who are fit enough, I have a stronger and better squad now so I can choose from other players without losing the quality. It’s good to have these options this year” noted Belmadi on the possibility of changing his squad for the match.

Looking to  the opposition Belmadi talked up the capabilities of his side, noting that they are fully prepared going into the match; “We will just remind the players how to play against Al Sadd. We are focused on our football and how we can cause Sadd problems.”


 
Al Sadd head into the tie on a two game winning streak in the QSL, head coach Jesaldo Ferriera stressed that his side is playing the form side in the QSL.

“This is a game after a long period of stoppage- we have no excuses going into the match, we will play against the number one candidate for the championship. Lekhwiya have competed for many championships in the past, and this wills a challenge for us.”

The Portuguese head coach also has several players returning to the squad due to international football. “This is the same problem as Lekhwiya; we will assess the fitness of the returning players and make a call if they are able to play in this game.”

“It’s important we have a good performance and outplay our opponent. We take each game and now we are looking at this game, I have confidence my side can get a good result” noted Ferriera when asked about the good form of his Al Sadd side.

Al Sadd is the early favorites for the QSL title, but Ferriera was quick to downplay this. “After two rounds it’s hard to decide who will win the title. I don’t know why people have said this; we will just focus on getting the result.”