Al Duhail coach Rui Faria speaking during a press conference in Doha, yesterday.
Al Duhail coach Rui Faria yesterday said that his team is gunning for the victory in the Sheikh Jassim Cup but will eye no revenge against Al Sadd when the two teams meet at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on Saturday.
Ahead of their third match against the Wolves in 11 days, the Portuguese tactician said that this will be a different contest and they are ready to take on the reigning QNB Stars League Champions.
On Tuesday, Al Sadd recorded a 3-1 win over Al Duhail in the second leg of the 2019 AFC Champions League Round of 16 to gain a 4-2 aggregate victory, which took them to the quarter-finals of the tournament.
"This is the third match for us against Al Sadd in 11 days and we are ready for this confrontation. We began working for this since the end of the away match of the AFC Champions League. We have analysed the two Asian confrontations well and we will work on correcting the mistakes," Faria said during a press conference in Doha yesterday.
He added :" We are now in a different championship from the AFC Champions League and my team is ready to present a big match and win the championship."
"I do not believe in revenge in football, and the players are sad after Tuesday’s loss, but they will do their best to achieve victory in the Sheikh Jassim Cup final and it is not a revenge match," Faria said.
Although Faria made his intentions clear, his counterpart, Xavi Hernandez said that Al Duhail will be looking to take revenge.
“We want to win this trophy and Al Duhail want revenge,” Xavi, who led his team to back-to-back quarter-finals at the AFC event, said yesterday.
“Al Duhail are one of the best teams in the Middle East, but we are ready for the game. It’s a game of 90 minutes. We need to be motivated and also be wary of Al Duhail. We also need to improve our work, as the season is only just beginning.”
“If we don’t give our 100 percent, we won’t be able to win titles. We managed to reach the next stage in the Champions League because we were able to do just that. And so, we need to keep giving our best in the Super Cup in order to win the title.”
As for the participation in the Club World Cup, which was confirmed after the Champions League win over Al Duhail, Xavi remarked: “It’s a great opportunity for us to play in the Club World Cup. There are only three players in the team who took part in the 2011 edition and they played against Barcelona. Now it’s time for the others. We are ready for that and we are preparing daily for the tournament.”
Xavi also praised his players, who he said “had a winning mentality.”
“We have great players, such as Akram Afif – he is excellent and can play in the Spanish league. We are very happy to have him with us.”
Al Sadd’s midfielder Ahmed Sayyar also confirmed his coach’s intentions, saying that his side is fully prepared to get another victory over Al Duhail
“It will be a tough game for both sides. Our team is ready, mentally and physically, for this game, particularly after we qualified for the next stage of the AFC Champions League,” Sayyar said.
He added: “The Sheikh Jassim Cup title could be a good start for the team at the beginning of the season, and we are ready for it.”
“We’ve had a positive phase recently, especially during pre-season. The victory in the Champions League fixture will be a real boost for us, as we look to put more wins on board,” Sayyar said.
Meanwhile, Al Duhail star Ali Afif, who is gearing up for his third confrontation against his famous brother Akram Afif within 11 days, said his team always have the ambition to win championships and titles. He said the ambition will be the same when they meet Al Sadd.
“Al Duhail players always have the ambition to win the matches and the championships. So it is a very important match for us as we seek to achieve victory because it will give us a huge morale boost ahead of the new season,” Afif said.
“The loss against Al Sadd in the Asian Champions League is not the end and it will not affect the desire of the players which is to achieve victories. Losing a match does not mean that we are a bad team,” Afif said.
“We learn from our mistakes. We have a bunch of young players who always present good levels of football and we have a big ambition to present a good season, so we will work on that,” Afif added.
Al Sadd, however, will miss the services of three key players, including their Algerian goal machine, Baghdad Bounedjah.
“We will miss three players - Bounedjah, Hamed Ismail and Tarek Salman - due to suspension,” Xavi said.
Al Duhail will play without Mehdi Benatia and Al Moez Ali.
