Ferreira: We need to be careful when facing Al-Kharaitiyat; they’ve improved a lot

Al-Sadd head coach Jesualdo Ferreira has spoken of the difficulty of the upcoming Emir’s Cup quarterfinal against Al-Kharaitiyat which will be played at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium on Friday.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Ferreira said: “The match is not going to be easy, we know how strong Al-Kharaitiyat can be. They have improved a lot this time compared to last season. This match is going to be different from the matches against Al-Rayyan and El-Jaish. We are looking to avoid errors and get the win.”

“Matches in the Emir’s Cup are different because they are one-off knockout matches. We need to be careful,” said Ferreira while highlighting the Al-Sadd have players who are fatigued due to their participation with their national team whereas Al-Kharaitiyat have no international players.

“I hope the players will be focused on winning and qualifying in order to clinch this prestigious title. This is our first step towards the title and all the players know the importance of this tournament, as it can get us into the AFC Champions League.”

Asked if Al-Kharaitiyat are similar to Umm Salal, who created problems for the team in the league, Ferreira said: “We need to go into the match with a lot of focus. Al-Kharaitiyat will make this match a closed affair. We have studied them a lot and we know that it will be difficult to play them.”

The manager also said: “I don’t fear any team in the QSL. I don’t think the Al-Sadd players are mentally exhausted after winning the Qatar Cup. They are professional players and they know that this match against Al-Kharaitiyat is the first step towards the Emir’s Cup title. I hope luck will be in our favour and that we can win the match without going to penalties, especially as we lost last year’s title in the penalty shootout.”

As for the preparation for the game, Ferreira said: “We have prepared for this match just as we have done for the other games.”

“In the other countries I have worked before, the club that finishes second in the league qualifies automatically for the Champions League but unfortunately, the rule here is that the Cup winner qualifies. And so, we have to go by the rules and we must win the title in order to qualify. I don’t like this way because we lost out in the playoffs twice. I hope we can qualify directly for the group stages in the coming season.”