Ferreira: The best medicine for the players now is to defeat Al-Ahli

Al-Sadd head coach Jesualdo Ferreira believes that the best medicine for his side, after the AFC Champions League exit, will be to defeat Al-Ahli in the upcoming QNB Stars League Round 10 match. The match is set to be played on Saturday at the Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Ferreira said: “This match comes at a very difficult time for us, after the exit from the AFC Champions League. The Al-Sadd players are suffering physically and mentally, but we are working towards preparing them in the best manner for the upcoming match against Al-Ahli.”

He added: “We were hoping for better things, we wanted to play in the final. But our focus now is on the league and we will play to win the title. We will play some very important games in the upcoming period, as we aim to get the title that has been missing from our trophy room for some time now.”

Ferreira also pointed out that the Al-Sadd players had played with great professionalism throughout the season. “The players did exceptionally well to carry out their responsibilities under such pressure. Everyone saw how they performed in Iran, in front of 100,000 fans and they deserved to win.”

Further, he said: “The most important medicine for the players now is to win against Al-Ahli and get the three points. I want to salute them for their sacrifices throughout the Asian campaign.”

Asked if the draw with Al-Sailiya in the previous league game would affect them team, Ferreira said: “The surprise result in the game against Al-Sailiya was because the referee gave an incorrect penalty call. It was a tough match but the result was unfair for us. I know that the game against Al-Ahli will be tough and I hope that there won’t be any refereeing errors. I know that we are suffering after the return journey from Iran, especially with the psychological effect on the players after the AFC Champions League exit.”