Al Sadd coach Xavi Hernandez spoke to the media ahead of their 2019-20 QNB Stars League Week 15 match against Umm Salal.

“We need points from this match. We know that Umm Salal are one of the teams looking to escape relegation, so the match will not be easy. They changed coach, I am praising this coach for the work he is doing with his team, especially on the defensive front.

“We need points to compete for the top position. We have to focus now on the match and forget the AFC Champions League. We have to play against Umm Salal with high focus.

“Players getting injured are part of football. I remember when I was a Barcelona player, in three weeks, four very important players got injured. These are not excuses.

“We have young players who are able to make up for the absence of seniors. We want to achieve our targets this season,” said Xavi.