Al Sadd are not taking a semi-final spot in the AFC Champions League for granted when they clash with Iran’s Esteghlal at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium today. The match begins at 7pm.
Although they are comfortably poised with a 3-1 advantage from their quarter-final first leg in Iran, where the prolific Baghdad Bounedjah scored twice after Akram Afif had given them a 60th minute equaliser, Al Sadd are keen to book their last four berth in style with their second victory over their rivals.
Star player Hassan al-Haydos and coach Jesualdo Ferreira were emphatic in their view that they would be playing their normal attacking game and not hiding behind their two-goal cushion.
“We are ready and raring to go,” al-Haydos said at yesterday’s pre-match press conference. “We will strive to perform to the best of our ability in order to establish our credentials as one of the best teams in Asia, and for that we are targeting nothing less than a victory,” he added.
Al-Haydos, who last week bagged his 100th international cap when Qatar faced Palestine in a friendly, said Esteghlal are a dangerous team and cannot be taken lightly.
“They came to Doha several days ahead of the match to get used to the conditions, which speaks volumes about their determination to overturn their deficit. But our preparations have been excellent and we are ready for then,” he said.
Coach Ferreira added that it would be mistake for Al Sadd to rely solely on their first-leg advantage.
“As far as we are concerned we are starting the match on 0-0,” said the veteran Portuguese tactician. “We are not thinking of our victory over them in Iran. That’s in the past. We are looking at the future.” Ferreira, however, refused to divulge his strategy for the match.
“Everybody knows I don’t talk about team strategy or formations because they will reach the opposition.”
However, he said crowd support would be important for his side.
“I appeal to Al Sadd fans to fill up the stadium. The fans are very important to us and it would be great to see them cheer us on.”
Earlier, captain Xavi had made no secret of the fact that Al Sadd were the better team in the first leg.
“I think we did well (in the first leg) but there’s one more game,” said the 38-year-old World Cup winner. “It could be just 90 minutes or it could even go to extra time. We don’t know; in football, we never know.
“At least, we did a really good job in Tehran. It was a very good performance and I think we were much better than Esteghlal, especially in the second half. Also, in the first half, we could have scored at least one goal.”
The former Barcelona star is playing in his first proper AFC Champions League campaign this year as Al Sadd were knocked out at the play-off stage in 2016 and 2017.
Meanwhile, Esteghlal coach Winfried Schafer said his team had no option but to believe in themselves.
“It may look like a difficult job for us as we trail 3-1 but we have to back our abilities and hope for the best,” said the German. “We have to constantly keep believing we can do it.”
Schafer added that Esteghlal paid a heavy price for the many mistakes the committed during the first leg.
“Everybody knows Al Sadd are a great team and when you make mistakes against them that could prove costly. Because of those mistakes we are now facing a difficult situation. But we will play competitive football and try to reverse the situation.”
