Xavi: We played a great game, sad to lose Salem Al-Hajri to injury

Al-Sadd head coach Xavi Hernandez congratulated his players for their performance today in the 3-1 win over Al Kharaitiyat in the Round of 16 of the Amir Cup 2020.

Speaking during the press conference after the match, Xavi said: “I’m happy to win and qualify (for the quarterfinals) after playing a very difficult match against Al Kharaitiyat. We faced a organized team and I congratulate them on their performance. We played a good match; we made some changes in the team, with our thoughts on the upcoming Champions League game. It was possible to score more goals, but after the third goal, we clinched the game in our favour.”

On the injury of midfielder Salem Al-Hajri, Xavi said: “Salem Al-Hajri suffered an Achilles tear and will be absent for a long time. The season is over for him. He is an excellent player and he was at his best levels recently. We will miss him a lot, especially as he was helping the team in a big way.”

As for the club’s new Mexican player Marco Fabian, the Spanish coach said: “He is a great player who plays as an attacking midfielder and on both sides. Certainly, he will be very useful to the team. He is a ‘joker’ who can play in many positions, he has great experience and is in the Mexican national team. I think that he will help the team a lot. He was in the dressing room earlier and was very excited to be part of the team.”

Xavi confirmed, however, that Marco will not be part of Al-Sadd’s AFC Champions League squad, saying: “He will play in the domestic competitions; we will use the same foreigners as last year in the AFC Champions League.”