A file picture of the Qatar Clasico between Al Rayyan and Al Sadd.
Al Sadd will be looking for a repeat performance of their scintillating first leg show against rivals Al Rayyan when they clash in the highly anticipated Qatar Clasico today.
For coach Jesualdo Ferreira , the tie holds extra significance as a full three points will keep the Wolves in the title hunt, who now are int eh second spot with xx points behind leaders Lekhwiya.
On the other hand, former champions Al Rayyan, who were tournced 5-0 in the first leg, can still maintain their faint hopes of retaining the Qatar Stars League (QSL) title with a victory over Al Sadd. The pressure will be very much on Al Sadd as they look to overhaul league leaders Lekhwiya to pick up their first QSL falcon shield since the 2012-13 season.
The Wolves will be aiming to put behind their frustrating 0-0 draw against Umm Salal last time out, which gave their title rivals the chance to overtake them in the QSL standings.
Ferreira is expecting a tough encounter for his team.
“It’s going to be a close game; no one knows who will win because it’s a Clascio. I hope that my side will perform against our rivals Al Rayyan.”
A host of key players in the Al Sadd set-up were called up for the Qatar National team for the World Cup qualifiers and Ferreira will be hoping that his players are fresh after the long away trip to Uzbekistan.
“It is good to have the professional players with us after the international break, including Abdulkarim Hassan. I hope that the returning players from international duty can hit the ground running and start strongly in the Clasico” added Ferriera.
Ferreira said he’s not feeling the strain of the title race.
“I don’t feel any pressure from this game, and the situation in fact I enjoy it.”
Last time in the league, Al Sadd ran riot against their rivals picking up 5-0 win. Striker Bagdad Bounjah was the hero notching a hat-trick in the tie, and the Algerian international will have to be at his best again if Sadd are to register a repeat performance.
As for Al Rayyan, they will come into the Qatar Clasico in good spirits following comprehensive victories in the QSL and AFC Champions League. Last time out in the league, Rayyan eased past bottom of the table Al Wakrah with a 4-0 win. Talismanic captain Rodrigo Tabata delivered the goods again for the Lions, scoring a hat-trick for his side.
During the international break, Rayyan moved to secure the long term futures of two key attackers with both Sebastian Soria and Tabata signing contract extensions with the club.
Michael Laudrup will be hoping that his two attacking stars come back from Uzbekistan at full fitness after representing the Qatar national team.
“We have a big game against Al Sadd, who are a great team and are rightly looking to fight for the title. We are looking to do better than we did last time against Al Sadd whilst looking to maintain our third place in the league,” Laudrup said.
“April is going to be an exciting month with the end of the league, two big games in the Champions League and hopefully two games in the Qatar Cup” added the Danish coach.
The Al Rayyan boss said the pressure will be on his opponents.
“Al Sadd need to win to have a chance in the league. I think it will be a good game, we have improved since the last game and I believe that they respect us. Looking at the result on it’s own last time against Al Sadd does not show the whole story it was a competitive game until the second half.I don’t believe in revenge but we want to get a result against Al Sadd.”
Today’s match could have a significant say in the destination of the QSL falcon shield, and will certainly serve up some of the best football the QSL has to offer.
Meanwhile, table topping Lekhwiya who are just three wins away from lifting their fifth QSL title take on a El Jaish in one of the standout fixtures of round 24.
Red Knights coach Djamel Belmadi stressed on the importance of the crucial tie.
“Three games left from the end of the season, it’s just two points difference between us and Al Sadd. It’s a key game for us and we have a big desire to win this match,” the Algerian said.
