Shanin: Facing Al-Markhiya will be tough, we have tough challenges this season

Al-Sadd defender Fahad Shanin has spoken of the difficulty of the side’s upcoming QNB Stars League opener against Al-Markhiya, which will be played on Saturday at the Grand Hamad Stadium.

Shanin said: “There is no easy match in football. We will be up against 11 good players. The better team will win and get the three points. Winning the Sheikh Jassim Cup will motivate us to get the league off to a good start, especially as the win came against a big team like Al-Duhail. We have many challenges this season with huge tournaments, both at home and abroad.”

The youngster, who returned to Al-Sadd in the summer after a loan stint in Belgium, concluded by saying: “Every player will always look to give his best. I must work hard to get the trust of the coach in order to keep making appearances. This is the same for every player.”