Xavi: Monterrey are the favourites but I have confidence in my team

Al-Sadd head coach Xavi Hernandez spoke of his confidence in his side’s readiness for the upcoming clash against Mexican side Monterrey, in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup.

Speaking during the pre-match press conference, Xavi said: “We are lucky to be here in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup, which is a historic match for the club and it gives us a lot of excitement. Our goal is to win and reach the semi-finals. We will face an excellent team and I expect that it will be a very difficult match, and as you know in football, no one knows what will happen.”

He added: “Monterrey is the favourite to win and qualify for the semifinals. The pressure is not on us.”

“In my career with Spain and Barcelona, ​​we had always been the favourites, while we played against strong competitors. I am now speaking to my players in the same way.”

The Spanish coach added: “It is favourable to us that the pressure is on Monterrey. Everything will be possible in the field and we will try to be better than them.”

“Al Sadd is a part of the State of Qatar and we are representing the country. We will strive to promote Qatar football in a good way. We may lose or win, but we must work and work hard to represent Qatar in the best manner.”

As for the first game and the difficulty of overcoming Hienghene Sport, the Al Sadd coach said: “We had a psychological problem in the first match, after wasting 30 opportunities in front of goal, but I have full confidence in the Al Sadd players. My confidence in them is limitless and I have asked them to continue playing football; participating in the championship is an achievement for them.”

Xavi said: “Everyone is talking about Monterrey being the favourites to qualify, but I trust my team and we will play tomorrow to win only and we are preparing from now for Liverpool.”