DOHA: Football giants Al Sadd won’t be taking Umm Salal lightly in their Qatar Stars League (QSL) game tonight, coach Hussein Ammouta (pictured) said yesterday.
The Al Sadd coach, who saw Al Sadd start the QSL season with a slick 4-0 win over Mesaimeer last week, pointed to Umm Salal’s powerful strike force up front.
“Our matches against Umm Salal have never been easy and this one won’t be either,” Ammouta said yesterday at Al Bidda Tower.
“They have a good team that defends well and also have quick counter attacks,” he added.
“The game will not be easy and we will have to be careful about the counter attacks from Sagoba. We need to be focused and convert our opportunities into goals,” the Al Sadd coach said.
Today’s match will take place at at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium with kick-off time fixed for a 6:00pm start.
Ammouta said Umm Salal will pose a threat in today’s round two clash for the Doha giants.
“Against Mesaimeer, we didn’t have a very difficult game but against Umm Salal it’s going to be very different,”Ammouta said.
“Also, because we are playing a team with big experience and big players and quality we will have to be careful. “However we have to reach our target to score goals, get three points and find solutions against a difficult team. The most important thing is to convert our opportunities into goals,” he urged his players.
When asked about striker Khalfan Ibrahim’s availability, Ammouta said: “Whether Khalfan will play or not will depend on the scenario of the game. Maybe he can come towards the end. He needs time to come back to 100 per cent fitness.”
“I was happy with Muriqui’s hat trick last week. For two seasons we missed a striker. Now we have Muriqui. And add to that Xavi, Haydous and Khalfan will be key assets for us this season,” Ammouta said.
Umm Salal coach Uygun Bulent said his team will be looking for their second win of the season.
Umm Salal beat hosts Al Khor last week, winning 2-0.
“In our first game against Al Khor, we did well and we won 2-0. That will motivate us more for the next game,” Bulent said.
“We hope we will be ready like we were for the first game. We are playing a strong team and if we are ready then we can do well against them.”
In the other game today, Al Wakrah host Al Ahli at the Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Stadium.
THE PENINSULA
