Qatar- Al Sadd aim for a second place finish

(MENAFN- The Peninsula)

DOHA: Al Sailiya take on third placed Al Sadd at the Al Ahli Stadium in their Qatar Stars League tie today. This is an important match for both teams as the Qatar Stars League is approaching its final three matches.

Al Sailiya currently sit in seventh position having obtained 32 points from 23 games. After a draw against Qatar SC in their last game Al Sailiya will be hoping to get the three points in this game to improve their position in the league.

“In our last game against Qatar we talked about the positive outcomes with our team. We know that Umm Salal and Al Sadd are ahead of us so we are hoping to improve our position in the table. We are ready for this game and to play against Al Sadd is not easy” said Farikh Mussad the Deputy Coach of Al Sailiya.

Al Sadd are in high spirits after a pulsating victory against Lekhwiya.

Jesualdo Ferreira head coach of Al Sadd is aiming for a second place finish and stressed the importance of the upcoming game.

“Our target now is the second place finish and everyone knows that the next game is very important for us. I hope the team does their job as they did in the previous two games” said the experienced 69-year-old.

Meanwhile Al Arabi head coach Gianfranco Zola has endured a frustrating season with the Dream Team with the Italian coach admitting he doesn’t know what side will turn up for the Umm Salal match.

“I’m optimistic for the match we have trained well. I am curious to see what performance my side will produce” he said.

Despite the inconstancy Zola has confirmed he is doing all he can to change the fortunes of his side.

Umm Salal come into the tie following a victory against Al Wakrah and know that a victory can effectively end Al Arabi’s slim chances of getting into the Qatar Cup.

Head coach Bülent Uygun was eager to praise his opponent.

“Firstly I would like to say that Zola is a great manager and has a great side” noted Uygen on the Thursday morning press conference.

Talking about the side’s progress this year Bülent Uygun is proud of the efforts of his side so far.

“If Umm Salal finish in fifth place this is good for the whole club. We will push the quality overall and lead us to better things in the future.”

At the Al Arabi Stadium this afternoon bottom side Mesaimeer take on in form Al Ahli.

This match will be good preparation for the Emir cup for Mesaimeer and a must win for Al Ahli if they are to stay in the league.

Mesaimeer are already relegated from the QSL with only five points from 23 games. However they have the Emir Cup to look forward to after the domestic season ends.

Rodion Gacanin the head coach of Mesaimeer is pleased to have Brazilian striker Erivelto Da Silva back in the side.

“Erivelto da Silva will come back (to the team) and I’m happy for that. For us these last three matches are preparation for the Emir Cup” he said.

Gacanin also noted that He also pointed out that their rivals are drawn in the same draw as them for the end of season domestic competition. “We play Al Ahli and Al Wakrah in the cup as well. So we need to be prepared. Al Ahli performed well in their last couple of games so we are looking forward to a tough game” added the Croatian tactician.

Al Ahli has grabbed all six points from their last two games and they will be hoping to continue this good form against struggling Mesaimeer. Stanislav Moravec Assistant coach of Al Ahli is happy with his team’s recent form and his hoping to get the three points against Mesaimeer.

“We are happy we got six points from our last two games but it’s not over yet and we will hope our players can give the maximum in the remaining games. I hope we beat Mesaimeer to improve our chances of staying in the first division” he added.

The Peninsula