Umm Salal will face a very difficult task tonight when they visit Al-Zaeem, the title holder, in the third match of the fourth round of the Ooredoo Stars League. Al-Sadd aspires to a third victory and reach the top spot, if its competitor Al-Duhail stumbles tomorrow against Al-Wakrah, while Umm Salal wants to come out with the best result, even a draw, and not fall victim to a big loss as happened when Al-Zaeem won in the second division last season with six clean goals.
The match will start at 8 pm at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Al Sadd. Al Zaeem will play in the match with 6 points in third place from two wins and a loss, while Umm Salal will play in sixth place with 3 points from a single win.
Expectations confirm that the match will be strong and good from both sides. It is true that the leader’s side is more likely due to experience and the winning cards it possesses, but Umm Salal is also not an easy team and it also has good capabilities, and possesses elements and winning cards that can disturb the leader’s defense and threaten its goal.
The expected scenario for the match is early pressure and attack from the first moment by the leader led by Akram Afif to reach the net through its new top scorer and skilled Spanish striker Rafa Mujica, who tops the scorers list with 5 goals, and the dangerous Brazilian winger Giovanni Henrique, along with Hashem Abdul Latif, Ali Asad and Mohammed Waad.
Al Sadd’s performance is characterized by fast attack and collective performance as well as benefiting from the skills of some of its distinguished stars. However, the leader may need a great effort from the midfield and attack to overcome the expected iron defense from Umm Salal to prevent it from reaching the net. It is certain that Umm Salal will tighten its defensive grip led by Marwan Lodani more than ever due to the great strength of Al Sadd’s attack, which requires an extraordinary effort to limit its effectiveness. At the same time, the Falcons will work to try to reach Al Sadd’s net through fast counterattacks led by Osama Tanan and assisted by Kenji Joel and Naim Al Aidouni.
Carteron: We enjoy great harmony
Patrice Carteron, Umm Salal coach, said that the confrontations between Al Sadd and his team always carry a lot of rivalry and enthusiasm between the two teams, and I think it will be very difficult, especially since Al Sadd’s level in the last two matches in the league was wonderful, after its first match in the league, where it was able to present its best. We also know very well that Al Sadd, who won the league and the Emir’s Cup titles, is one of the big candidates this season for the league title as well.
He pointed out that the players of Umm Salal team enjoy great harmony among them, and we benefited well from the QSL Cup matches which were good, and we were able to win the last match thanks to the good spirit that the team has. He expressed his happiness that all the team players played and performed well.
Sanchez: We worked on correcting the mistakes
Al Sadd coach Felix Sanchez confirmed the team’s readiness for the Umm Salal match, saying: An important match awaits us against Umm Salal. We seek to do our best in order to achieve victory and collect the three points.
He continued: We worked during the past period to correct the mistakes that occurred. Focus will be our weapon in the match against Umm Salal. He added: “Like all league matches, this match will be difficult. Umm Salal team was a strong competitor in the previous three matches this season.”
He added: “Given the circumstances, they are a difficult team to play against. We will see how the players arrive after returning from the national team, how we will be able to prepare for the match and which players will be available.”
Al Sadd coach concluded his speech by saying: “I am confident that the players will be ready and will do their best to perform well and achieve victory.”