Al Sadd coach Xavi Hernandez spoke to the media ahead of their 2021 Qatar Cup final against Al Duhail.

“We are happy to play the final for a second year in a row. We are looking forward to playing well and winning the Qatar Cup. We want to add this title to our trophy cabinet. The good thing for me is that since I started training with Al Sadd, the team is present in all finals and we hope to bag another trophy. The title is won, the finals are won and not played.

“We are at our best. We are at the top of our physical conditioning. We have not lost for a long time and the team is presenting very good levels. I think the Al Arabi match in the league (on 22nd February) was a great experience before facing Al Duhail, as we performed very well in it.

“Al Sadd players have a winning mentality. This is an important feature that confirms that the team enters every match, regardless of the strength of the opponent, with a strong desire to win. We are therefore looking forward to achieving victory in the final against Al Duhail.

“Al Duhail are one of the best teams in Qatar. Both teams have very high-level players and from my point of view, Al Sadd are better than Al Duhail. We are also stronger even though Al Duhail are one of the best teams in Asia and recently signed professional players of the highest level.

“All matches that my team fought in the league recently were very difficult and everyone saw that in all matches. This indicates that the team is doing a great job and providing a very distinctive level of football even though all teams are motivated when they face Al Sadd and give their best,” said Xavi.

We’ll try hard to reduce our mistakes and win Qatar Cup: Al Haydous

Al Sadd player Hassan Al Haydous said, “We have to admit that the final will be very difficult as Al Duhail have begun to gradually return to their top level. They are clearly presenting good levels in the league. They also played well in the FIFA Club World Cup and Amir Cup.

“I think some minor details will settle the issue in the final. We will try hard to minimise our mistakes, so we can win the Qatar Cup final. Our coach Xavi is very right in talking about the final match that cup matches are won and not played. So, it is important for our team to achieve victory regardless of performance. I hope the final will be decided during regular time and that the winning side would be Al Sadd.”