Al Ahli coach Ruben de la Barrera spoke to the media ahead of their QNB Stars League Week 21 match against Al Sadd.

“The match against Al Sadd is a great new challenge for me and my team. They are the team closest to the title. It will be a strong game and we will bring out our best.

“We will not focus on Al Sadd. Instead, we will focus on our team and our preparations for a strong match. We will not be easy opponents. We will do our best.

“Our players’ morale is high following our victory over Al Arabi in the last round. We have to take advantage of it. Even though Al Sadd will be looking only to win, we have our chances and we will try to put up a creditable performance.

“I certainly hope to repeat the surprise when we beat Al Sadd in the first leg (that has been Al Sadd’s only defeat so far in this season’s QNB Stars League),” said Barrera.