Ferreira: It’ll be a great derby; the players are in high spirits

Al-Sadd head coach Jesualdo Ferreira has reiterated the importance of his side’s upcoming derby clash against Al-Arabi in Round 21 of the Qatar Stars League. The match is set to be played on Thursday at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Ferreira said: “I know it’s a derby and it is a really big match for Qatari football, especially with both clubs having a lot of fans. I know Al-Arabi are a big club with a big history in the Qatari league. The results of these kinds of matches are unpredictable. We need to prepare well in order to give our best and get the three points.”

He went on to add: “We, at Al-Sadd, are ready for the match and the players are in high spirits. Our goal is to win. The one with least errors will win the game. We really need these three points in order to get to the top of the league if Lekhwiya slip up against Umm Salal.”

Ferreira expressed his hope of Lekhwiya losing against Umm Salal, saying: “I hope Lekhwiya slip up. Our aim is to win all the remaining matches and Al-Sadd always perform well in the big matches. The pressure on the Al-Sadd players will be bigger than on the Al-Arabi players, especially as they are in a safe position in the table.”

The boss also said: “Al-Sadd have only lost once to Lekhwiya in the last 23 matches. This is important for the players and for me personally. This is a really big improvement for the team compared to the last season.”

As for the competition for the league title, Ferreira said: “Of course, we will continue working hard in the 6 remaining rounds. Even if we win all of them, Lekhwiya still have to lose for us to be able to win the league. I was hoping to continue in the Champions League so that we could play in the big tournaments, especially as the Al-Sadd players have shown great development in the big matches, like the one against Esteghlal.”

Asked about the level of Hassan Al-Haydos after his return from surgery, Ferreira said: “Al-Haydos is giving his best and in the last six months, he has been the best player in the league. He is a smart player and there is no difficulty for him to play. This is a great quality. He gives his best in every position and sometimes changes his position by himself in order to help his teammates. His only problem is his fitness and he needs to be away from injuries. We praise God for his return to the team after the surgery he had.”