Xavi: Al-Wakrah are strong opponents, it will be a tough game

Al-Sadd head coach Xavi Hernandez spoke of the difficulty of his side’s upcoming match against Al-Wakrah in Round 12 of the QNB Stars League.

Speaking at the press conference ahead of the game, Xavi said: “Happy new year to everyone! We will have a difficult game against Al-Wakrah. We know we will face a very strong team. We suffered against them in the first phase. They have an excellent coach who knows his players very well, but we are fully prepared to get the win.”

He added: “I do not know whether (Cristian) Ceballos will return to play with Al-Wakrah or not, but the rest of the players are of the highest calibre. On paper, we are the favourites. We are coming on the back of a big win over Al-Gharafa in our best game of the season. But our performance on the pitch (tomorrow) is what will help us get a positive result.”

And on the readiness of his players for the match, the Al Sadd coach said: “All the players are ready for tomorrow’s game. Only the three Olympic team players are missing. Training has gone well and everyone is in working hard to get a spot in the starting eleven. I will work on choosing the best suitable lineup.”

As for his team’s transfer moves in January, Xavi pointed out that up to this point, he does not know anything about any new signings, and added: “I work only with the available players in the team. I am working with a strong team that can compete for all the titles. Our goal is always to win.”