Umm Salal take on Al Sadd in round 23 of the QSL. The match will take place this Thursday at the Qatar SC Stadium
 
Umm Salal head coach Mahmoud Jaber assured that all matches are tough, however Al Sadd clash in round 23 is more difficult due the status of his team in regards to injuries and suspensions.


 
He added in the pre-match press conference: "There is some satisfaction in Umm Salal after the victory over Muaither in the previous round 22 but the coming matches are more important. Al Sadd is a big team with a big motivation to hold on to the top spot."
 
He continued, "We do respect all our opponents but I play for the benefit of my team and not for other teams such as Al Sadd or Lekhwiya competing for the QSL title."
 
He added that football is a game of winning or losing and there is no doubt the first leg loss of 0-8 to Al Sadd is heavy but of course the players are looking forward to compensating.
 
Mahmoud reflected that the team has four missing players due to injury in addition to Mubarak Obaid and Fahad Al Marri. Also, the status of the Ivorian striker Sagbo is not determined yet.
 
 
On the other hand, Al Sadd head coach Jesualdo Ferreira assured that he doesn’t remember the previous first leg match result and now it is in the past. The coming match will be very tough and more difficult than the previous one. This requires lots of hard work from our side. This is one of the last three matches in the QSL.
 
He added, "There is no doubt that Umm Salal is different now and they haven't lost any of the last 5 games."
 
Whether he considers the eagerness of Umm Salal players to compensate will make things harder for Al Sadd, the Portuguese indicated, "Umm Salal has all the right to win the game and they are a tough contender. If they thought only about revenge, that would not in their favour. I am hoping they would make it an open game such as the previous one."