Ferreira: Playing Umm Salal is difficult, our aim is to return to the top

Al-Sadd head coach Jesualdo Ferreira has stressed on the difficulty of his side’s upcoming game against Umm Salal in Round 8 of the QNB Stars League, which will be played at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Ferreira said: “The match will be very difficult for us, playing against a strong Umm Salal team who have started the season well. They have a number of strengths including in physical aspects and attacking force. They also have some weak points, which we must exploit.”

“The Umm Salal players are physically strong and this will make things difficult for us. Our team is prepared for this clash and we will look to win it as we do in all games, so that we can return to the top.”

As for the absence of a number of his players, Ferreira said: “For quite some time, we have trained without a full team because of international commitments of our players. Also, injuries make things tough for a coach to play to his full strengths. That said, I am proud of the young players who have shown their worth in the team.”

The Portuguese coach added: “Al-Sadd’s philosophy is to play with the available players regardless of their names. Every player on the squad will be responsible.”

When asked about Umm Salal’s defence, which is the second best in the league, Ferreira said: “Despite the strength of their defence and despite the absence of our players, we must focus and work hard to win the match.”