When the last time Doha giants Al Sadd faced Al Duhail two months ago, the result was a 4-1 hammering for coach Xavi’s popular side. According to Xavi, that defeat can only be erased from the minds of Al Sadd fans if his players could score a similar big victory against Al Duhail.
“In football there is revenge, always. Last time we played (against Al Duhail), we lost 4-1. We hope to change that. We have to fight. We have to play more than 100 percent. They are one the best teams in Asia,” a smiling Xavi said ahead of today’s Qatar Cup final today.
On November 2, hosts Al Duahil relied on goals from Mohammed Muntari, Karim Boudiaf, Edmilson Junior and Almoez Ali to complete a resounding 4-1 win over Al Sadd.
Fast forward to today, Qatar’s football giants - Al Sadd and Al Duhail - are battling for 2020 Qatar Cup honours, this time on the home ground of Xavi’s side.
“It’s the final. Playing the final means a lot. We are happy to be in the final. We have the capacity to win. We played an incredible match last week (4-1 win over Al Rayyan). We are ready to compete,” Xavi warned yesterday.
“It could be our second title win of the season. We have many, many winners in the team. I hope we enjoy the match. We know the difficulty because we are facing one of the best teams in the region, but we are ready for the final,” the former La Liga star added.
“In my opinion, maybe we could play like last week. We have to keep the ambition, intensity against Al Duhail. We are Al Sadd. We have the capacity to win. We have the best players. We trust our process but in football we have to fight,” Xavi said.
Xavi, who guided Al Sadd in winning the season-opening event Sheikh Jassim Cup, yesterday used Arabic terminologies to express the mood in his camp.
“It is the time of the final. (The match can get) khalas in 90 minutes. (We have to attack) alatool (because) they have won many titles in the last 10 years. They have won six league titles. We have difficulties but I trust my players and my club. Let’s compete,” Xavi said with a smile.
Xavi said winning the season title of the season remained a big motivation for Al Sadd squad that comprises of a number of players who also appear for the Qatar national side.
“Normally we play (the Qatar Cup) at the end of the season. But we have the chance to win a title in the middle of the season. We have to start Asian Champions League so we realise the situation (of having Qatar Cup) in the middle of the season,” Xavi explained.
“We won Sheikh Jassim Cup. We have to compete for all the local competitions. Sheikh Jassim Cup is a big title. We are proud to win it. The players are proud to win it,” Xavi said.
Al Sadd captain Hassan Al Haydos said yesterday: “It will be a difficult match. We are playing one of the toughest teams. I hope we can repeat the performances of last week. Al Duhail is a very good team. They always choose players who can deliver. Their overseas players will help Al Duhail and Qatari football. They have a good coach.”
Al Duhail coach Rui Faria predicted a high-octane title clash today.
"A final is a final. It’s an opportunity to win a title. When two good teams face each other, many things can happen. We have to have top level of concentration throughput the match. We know out rivals. We know their weaknesses and strengths. Finals are about winning. We know how important this is. We are ready for this title clash," Faria said yesterday.
"I don’t know if that (the 4-1 win over Al Sadd in the league) was the best performance. It was a performance that showed our speed and mentality. The performance showed how much the players believed in themselves," he added.
“I don’t wait for a match like that (smiles). We want to play eleven vs eleven. Every player has to show what it means to be in the final. Of course we want to have a perfect day but then this is the final. Al Sadd is a good team with a lot of strengths,” the Portuguese coach said.
Faria was candid enough to admit signing new players doesn’t guarantee top-notch performances.
Last week Al Duhail announced the signing of DPR Korea striker Han Kwang-song from Italian Serie A giants Juventus. At the end of last month, Al Duhail welcomed Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic.
“Every time you get new players, they need time to settle down or understand each other. It’s all about relationships. The players need to know each other, with team-mates. In the end they are good signings. Timing is important," he said.
"We don’t have that time. Everybody needs the performance and whatever short time they have is tomorrow,” Faria said. “Every player of ours has a competition. In a healthy way it helps us improve. I said this earlier one of our objectives is to have that competitive edge among players. This happens at many clubs. It helps to improve the quality. Fortunately we don’t have a problem implementing this philosophy,” Faria said.
Al Duhail skipper Boudiaf said yesterday: “This is not the first time we are playing Al Sadd. We have played them many times. We just have to see we don’t make mistakes. Other than that, the team is ready to play the final. I know all the Al Sadd players. We have to be organised to do well.
