Hisham Zahid: Facing Al-Rayyan in the Clasico will be difficult

Al-Sadd assistant coach Hisham Zahid has branded the upcoming clash against Al-Rayyan in Round 10 of the QSL as ‘special’ and ‘difficult’, saying: “Al-Rayyan is a big team and facing them will be diffcult. I hope the match will see both teams at their best.”

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Zahid said: “Al-Sadd is ready for all the matches; of course, the match against Al-Rayyan will be different from the rest, especially as it will be a huge test for us. We expect the support from the fans; a Clasico without fans will be lacking in excitement.”

The assistant coach also said: “Al-Rayyan is a good team and has players of a high calibre. It will be a competitive match against them. Al-Sadd are fully ready to face them. I hope last year’s season repeats itself, when we defeated them.”

Asked about striker Baghdad Bounedjah wasting chances in front of goal, he said: “Baghdad is an excellent player for the team. Sometimes he needs to be clincal in front of goal. The coaches are always giving him advice for him to perform better to score goals for the team and help his teammates. We always expect a lot from him.”

As for El-Jaish topping the QSL currrently, Hisham said: “El-Jaish deserves to be top of the league because of its excellent performances in all its matches. However, it is too early to predict who will win the QSL title, especially as the campaign is still a long journey to go and there are many more challenges for all the teams.”

Hisham went on to conclude by saying: “It will be a difficult and important match for Al-Sadd. Winning it is very important for us and it will give us a huge boost to continue our competition for the top spot.”