Sixth placed Umm Salal take on Lekhwiya on Saturday evening, looking for their third win of the season, Head coach Bülent Uygun gave his thoughts to the local media on Thursday morning ahead of the game. 

Opening up the press conference Bülent Uygun was quick to praise his opponent on Saturday. “Lekhiwiya are one of the best sides in Qatar, always fighting for titles. They are like Real Madrid in many ways, this will be a tough test for my side.”

“Last time against Al Ahli, we made some crucial mistakes in defence at times. This week we have been looking to rectify these errors in training, and we will be ready for the game against Lekhiwya” explained the Turkish tactician when asked about his sides preparations for the game. 

Uygun also revealed that his side will be without two key players in defence for the Saturday afternoon match at Qatar SC stadium. “Both Jawad Ahnash and Anderson Martins will be unavailable for this game. It is a major blow for us not having these players, however we have a big squad and i believe someone will step up for us in this game.”

Umm Salal’s opponents Lekhwiya have conceded a number of goals this season and the Turkish tactician concluded that his side will attack the four time time QSL champions. “We go into each match with a plan, we are playing one of the best teams in Qatar who have let in some goals this season. Are aim is to attack, and get a positive result for Umm Salal from this game.”

As for the visitors Lekhwiya, they come into the tie after a last gasp draw with QSL champions Al Rayyan, head coach Djamel Belmadi revealed his thoughts ahead of the game. 

Opening up the press conference, Belmadi stressed that he was looking for the win against his opponent. “After the last two draws, we want the three points. We had a good performance the last game, but the target was to win, now we look for a positive result against Umm Salal.”  

“There is no easy games this season i think, and Umm Salal will be a real challenge for us. They have extra motivation to get a result from Lekhiwya, they have troubled us over the years. At least three teams will be relegated this season, and every team will be fighting for the points so no game will be easy.” explained Belmadi when asked about his sides opponent on Saturday afternoon. 

Belmadi also reflected on his sides last game against Al Rayyan, and stressed that the dropped points won’t effect the confidence “Of course we wanted to win against Al Rayyan, we played well as a team in this game, but it won’t effect our confidence going into the game.”

Ending the press conference, Belmadi revealed that the Al Rayyan result underlined his sides title credentials. “I believe the players played well and deserved to score a equaliser that is why I celebrated so much. This result shows our fighting spirit, and our aim is still the championship.”