Nuno: Sheikh Jassim Cup win will be a big boost for us ahead of QSL opener

Al-Sadd assistant coach Nuno Almeida expects the team’s Sheikh Jassim Cup triumph to push the team to victory when they face Al-Markhiya in their opening match of the 2017-18 QNB Stars League on Saturday.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Nuno said: “Al-Sadd are coming off the back of the triumph in the Sheikh Jassim Cup, which will be a boost for us in the league. We have prepared well for this match after recovering following the exhausting match against Al-Duhail in the Sheikh Jassim Cup, which was very tough as the temperature was high.”

The assistant coach believes that Al-Sadd have enough information about their opponents Al-Markhiya. “We know all the necessary details about Al-Markhiya. All that matters now is for us to select the right players for the match, especially as Al-Markhiya are a really tough side to face and they have been promoted after an undefeated campaign last year. The promoted teams are always tough and go against expectations. And so we need to be prepared for this game.”

“Since they are facing Al-Sadd in the first game of the league, Al-Markhiya will be very motivated. Their defence could mae things tough for us as they look to get a point off us,” added Nuno. “Our goal is to win and we will work to achieve that.”

When asked about the fitness of striker Baghdad Bounedjah, Nuno said: “The medical staff will determine if Bounedjah will be able to play after he picked up an injury in the last game against Al-Duhail.”

The assistant coach concluded by saying: “We missed many players in the match against Al-Duhail (due to injury) and some players were just returning from injury. The available players exhausted themselves in that game and so, we were keen to prepare the players well and help them recover and reach a good physical condition before the Al-Markhiya game.”