Ferreira: Facing Al-Gharafa is tough; we don’t need the top spot for just 24 hours

Al-Sadd first team head coach Jesualdo Ferreira spoke to the media on Wednesday, reiterating the importance of the upcoming game against Al-Gharafa in Round 18 of the Qatar Stars League. The game is set to be played on Friday at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Ferreira said: “The preparations for this match has been normal with little training because of the packed schedule of matches. I hope there won’t be any injuries before this match which is going to be crucial for us because (if we win), we will be on top with Lekhwiya’s slip up.”

The boss added: “Our aim is to win all the remaining matches in order to win the title. I don’t want the top spot just for 24 hours. We aim to continue at the top. There are 9 matches remaining in the league and I hope all our players will be available even with our Asian matches and also the national team involvements.”

Ferreira also said: “Al-Gharafa have been performing better in this season compared to what happened in the last season. And I can’t forget teams like Al-Rayyan and El-Jaish; they could return to the top especially as the gap is small. The league is not just between Lekhwiya and Al-Sadd. We will focus on winning all the matches and not dropping a single point.”