DOHA: Qatar Stars League (QSL) minnows Umm Salal believe they can cause an upset today when they take on former champions Al Sadd in a round four match.
Umm Salal head coach Uygun Bulent said his side will give their best at the game to be played at the Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium where kick-off time is slated for 8:15pm.
“The next game will be more difficult. We must be ready, as you know Al Sadd is one of the best teams in the league but I believe we can do well and get the victory,” Bulent said yesterday.
“Three weeks ago we started the league. The competition is very hard and the weather didn’t help with the season starting so early,” Bulent said.
“We also brought in a lot of new players and this means that the team needed some time to adjust,” he added.
“From three games we have four points and our performances will improve as the new players adjust,” the coach explained.
Al Sadd coach Hussain Amute admitted Umm Salal have added quality players over the summer and so was cautious about predicting victory.
“As you know Al Sadd is a team which looks to win titles so we must play to the maximum of our abilities and also we know that the league is improving and so there will be few easy games this season,” the Moroccan said.
“Umm Salal is a good team and I like the new players they have brought in, especially Tuncay Sanli and Jérémie Aliadière. With regard to absences, Muriqui will still be missing for a further two or three weeks. There are also a few other players who we will decide on in the next 24 hours,” the Al Sadd boss said.
“I also want to mention that (striker) Kalfan (Ibrahim) could break the all-time goal scorer’s record at Al Sadd. He is a key player in our team but football is a team sport and so every single player has an important role. Khalfan, I think, has finished as our top scorer in the last two seasons and he deserves all of the attention he is getting,” the coach said.
Meanwhile, new Qatar SC head coach Radhi Shenaishil is hoping for an encore when he hosts newly-promoted side Al Shahaniya today. Shenaishil guided Qatar SC to win over Al Sailiya last week.
“As you know games at the beginning of the season are difficult to predict. We are playing a team that is still a relatively unknown quantity,” Shenaishil said. “They are coming from the second division and it is more difficult to play those kinds of teams in that they are very motivated to try and stay in this league,” he added.
“I am hoping for the win which will obviously give us more confidence and motivation to succeed in the next few games. We respect them and I have told my players not to underestimate them, if we do that, then we are done for,” Shenaishil said. “I know the media expects us to win but in football nothing is guaranteed. I watched their previous game, they have good players and they are good at making chances and not just defending,” Shenaishil said.
Al Shahaniya head coach Miguel Lotina is heading into only his second game in the league but looked upbeat and ready for the next game.
“Firstly our previous match was not bad but not great either. I spoke to my players about the positives and negatives,” Lotina said. “Our first half was not good, our attack didn’t play as well as I know they can,” he added.
“With regards to the upcoming clash with QSC, we have trained hard to improve on the things that we didn’t do very well in
the last game. We respect our opponents a lot, they played well last week and also they have a big history in this league,” Lotina added.
Qatar SC are currently in the ninth spot in the table while Al Shahaniya are in 12th place.
The Qatar SC-Al Shahaniya game starts at 6:10pm at Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium.
THE PENINSULA
