By Sports Reporter/Doha


Al Sadd are worried injury problems may derail their chances of ending the domestic season with some silverware after finishing second behind champions Lekhwiya in the Qatar Stars League.
With talisman Khalfan Ibrahim out for 10 days and Brazilian Muriqui battling a painful back, coach Hussain Ammouta exuded cautious optimism ahead of their Qatar Cup semi-final against El Jaish today at the Abdulla bin Khalifa Stadium, The match begins at 5.15pm.
“It a very important competition for us, I know that the game will be very tough as we are facing El Jaish. I predict a good performance from both sides,” Moroccan Ammouta told journalists yesterday.
“We have had some injury problems, Khalfan will be absent for 10 days and Muriqui is also having issues with back pain. This causes us some problems but I still believe we have a strong side.”
Ibrahim Majid too will sit out after undergoing surgery, while Hamza Sanhaji will miss the game after picking up a red card during Al Sadd’s QSL match against Al Shamal.
Ammouta said the weight of expectations means pressure is always a part and parcel of the team.
“We are always under pressure because our club always aims to win such titles; if we don’t win this Cup then we always have the possibility to win the Emir Cup, God willing,” said Ammouta.
Brazilian striker Muriqui, who himself has had two surgeries over the past few months, however, was confident of playing to his full potential despite his back problems.
“Yes my adaptation to the league was slow but that was because I was injured for 8 months and I have had two operations, but now that I am fit I feel I have done well,” said Muriqui, a former junior Brazil international and star of Guangzhou Evergrande’s Asian Champions League success in 2013.
El Jaish head coach Sabri Lamouchi, meanwhile, is faced with the daunting prospect of defending the Qatar Cup won last year under Nabil Maloul, who left the club to take over as coach of the Kuwait national team.
“Al Sadd are a big team with a great history and their coach has more experience while I’ve joined the team only recently,” said Lamouchi, a former French international.
“It not a personal confrontation between to coaches, it is between the two clubs, however one coach does have more experience in this league and I on the other hand have joined recently. Though, I have taken over a team who last year won the Cup and I will try my best to defend the Qatar Cup title and bring it back for our fans.”