Al Sadd head coach Xavi Hernandez addressed the media ahead of his side’s upcoming QNB Stars League Round 22 game against Qatar SC, speaking about the difficulty of the clash, which will bring the league campaign to an end.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Xavi said: “Our next game is against Qatar Club, one of the teams we couldn’t defeat this season. We drew against them and in my opinion, they are a very good team. They are trying to qualify for the Champions League next season.”
He added: “In their last game, they drew with 10 players against 11. It means that the match will be difficult and complicated.”
“But, focusing on our team, we would like to finish this competition unbeaten, and of course, we want to get three points. We are going to use rotation again because in this last period, in six days, we had three games. But there are no excuses. We want to finish well and we want to finish with three points.”
Asked about his thoughts on the rotation of players, Xavi said: “Yes, of course, we are going to change some players because the most important thing for us is the AFC Champions League and then the Amir Cup.”
He added: “We have already won this competition but we have extra motivation to win against Qatar Club because it will mean we are unbeaten all season.
“We want this victory. It means a lot for us. It means we finish the season well. To end the competition unbeaten is an amazing job.”
Xavi also spoke of his happiness and pride at the team’s achievements this season. “I am very proud of the squad, of these players. It is easy to be their coach, of course, because of how they train, how they feel about football and how they work for the team.”
“Yesterday was a good example because Al Rayyan are trying to qualify for the Champions League, and we won again in the Clasico. I’m very happy coaching these kinds of players because the spirit of the team is the most important thing, and yesterday we showed again our best level.”
