(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Fawad Hussain I The Peninsula
Doha: Coach Xavi Hernandez yesterday stressed his newly-crowned Qatar Cup champions, Al Sadd, to focus on their today's QNB Stars League (QSL) clash against relegation-threatened Al Khor, terming it a ‘difficult' match.
The game, which will be played at Al Khor Stadium, was deferred due to Al Sadd's 2019 AFC Champions League commitment.
Al Sadd thrashed QSL points leaders Al Duhail 4-0 in Friday's Qatar Cup final, but despite their phenomenal form, Xavi feels a lack of focus in the match may cost his team dearly.
'It is a very difficult match, especially after the big win in the Qatar Cup. We must now focus on the league and the Al Khor match. We lost 4 games in the league championship, and from tomorrow's match onwards we must win all the matches, Xavi said at a press conference on the eve of the match.
'Al Khor has improved a lot and is excellent with the counter-attack. The game will be at their home and we must be focused, and must not lose any points, he said.
Al Sadd the defending QSL champions - are currently third in the standings with 21 points, nine less than Al Duhail and seven less than Al Rayyan.
The ‘Wolves' suffered a couple of upsets in the first half of the season and Xavi doesn't want a repeat of it.
'We lost to Qatar and Al Wakrah, so if we do not focus in front of Al Khor, we can lose again, he said.
'We must play with the same pressure that we played against Al Duhail and Al Rayyan especially as Al Khor is a strong team with high capabilities. We must play the game with all our strength, Xavi added.
Meanwhile, Al Sadd midfielder Salem Al Hajri said his team is targeting full points against Al Khor.
'The league matches are different from the cup matches but we will work to win and get close to the top of the league. We have turned the Qatar Cup page and our focus is entirely on the league, and all its matches are difficult, said Al Hajri.
'The league still has a long way to go, and we should not lose any points in all the upcoming rounds, he added.
Al Khor is in the 10th position with nine points and are not too far from the danger zone. They are one point ahead of 11th-placed Al Shahania and four ahead of bottom-placed Umm Salal. Al Khor have only two victories to their credit, and they will expect to pull off a win in front of home fans.
Al Khor coach Omar Najhi hoped that his team will snatch points from Al Sadd on their home turf.
'It's very important match for us. Every match is important for us at this stage. We must collect points to stay away from danger zone, said Najhi.
The match will kick off at 7pm.
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