Al-Sadd hold main training session to prepare for Al-Wasl

The Al-Sadd football first team held its main training session on Saturday at the club’s training facility, as part of the preparations for the upcoming AFC Champions League game against Al-Wasl, which is set to be played at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on Monday.

Al-Sadd will go into the Matchday Five game sitting on top of the Group C table with 9 points from 4 games, after a 2-1 win over Al-Wasl in Dubai, a 3-1 defeat of Persepolis in Doha, a 1-0 loss to Nasaf in Karshi and finally a 4-0 victory over Nasaf here in Doha on Matchday Four.

Opponents Al-Wasl are winless after losing all their four games – 2-1 to Al-Sadd, 1-0 to Nasaf and then 3-0 and 1-0 to Persepolis.

Saturday’s session saw the Wolves train under the supervision of head coach Jesualdo Ferreira, who looked to select his options for the starting lineup. The coaching staff worked on the shooting and movement of the players.

Al-Sadd sporting director Mohammed Gholam Al Baloushi was present at the training session to show his support for the team before the crucial game, which could possibly decide qualification for the next stage of the tournament.

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Jugurtha Hamroun will be out of action against Al-Wasl, after picking up a muscle injury. Morteza Pouraliganji, on the other hand, will be available for selection following his recovery from an injury he sustained in the league game against Al-Ahli.

Striker Ali Ferydoon will also miss the match due to a muscle strain, which kept him out of Saturday’s training session.

Before the start of Saturday’s session, the players gathered in the centre of the pitch to listen to a technical talk from the coaching staff.

The session also saw goalkeeping coach Luca Squinzani train the three goalkeepers – Saad Al-Dosari, Meshaal Barsham, Jehad Mohammed – intensely to keep them in shape and also improve reflexes and reactions.

The team will now hold its final pre-match session on Sunday evening. The press conference for the game will be held at the club’s conference hall, while the technical coordination meeting will be held at the main arena.