AFC Champions League: Al-Sadd hold main training session ahead of semifinal first leg against Al-Hilal

The Al-Sadd first team held their main training session on Sunday evening at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium pitch, ahead of the upcoming AFC Champions League semifinal first leg clash with Al-Hilal, which is set to be played on Tuesday at the same venue.

The Wolves defeated Al-Duhail 4-1 on aggregate in the Round of 16 before overcoming Al-Nassr with a 4-3 win in the quarterfinal to book their place on the semifinals. The team will now look to get a positive result at home before the away leg, which will be played in Riyadh on 22 October.

Sunday’s session saw the all the players undergo intense training under the supervision of head coach Xavi Hernandez and his staff. The coaching staff focused on attacking strategies and player movement.

Al-Sadd’s team management were keen to show their support for the players by their presence during the session, with general manager Turki Al Ali and head of football Mohammed Ghanem Al Ali in attendance.

Pedro Miguel and Abdulaziz Al Ansari are both ruled out of the Al Hilal game as they have not recovered from their injuries.

Before the session, the coaching staff held a meeting with the players, explaining the technical points regarding the game and motivating them to give their best.

Meanwhile, goalkeeping coach Xavi Fernando gave the trio of goalkeepers a set of intense exercises, focusing on movement and reflexes.

The pre-match press conference for the game will start at 6:15 PM on Monday at the Al-Sadd conference hall while the match coordination meeting will precede it, starting at 4:30 PM.