Al Sadd captain Xavi (left) will  miss today’s Qatar Stars League clash against Mesaimeer, coach Jesualdo Ferreira  (right) announced yesterday.

By Sports Reporter/Doha


Under pressure to close the gap on leaders Al Rayyan, Doha giants Al Sadd are feeling edgy going into their round 14 clash against minnows Mesaimeer today. The match begins at 6.45pm.
 Al Sadd coach Jesualdo Ferreira said he will miss the services of captain experienced midfielder Xavi and key striker Hassan al-Haydos.
 “It will be a difficult game for us just like all other games.
“Unfortunately we are missing a few players who have gone to the Olympic team and also some injuries,” Ferreira said yesterday.
 “We will not have a strong bench. But it’s not an excuse to not win this game. Al Sadd must win this game despite the situation of the players,” Ferreira added.
 Last Monday El Jaish hammered Al Sadd 4-2 after Ferreira’s side beat Al Rayyan in the previous round.
 Ferreira said Al Sadd needs more time to settle with a new coach.
 “We have had three matches, each one had its own level. Three weeks of working with the team doesn’t give you all the indications of what the players are capable of doing” Ferreira said.
“A couple of matches we haven’t done well. We changed some players in the last match and we will have to do that in this match. And that’s why the team’s rhythm is not stable.
“So I cannot judge the players. We have to play each match looking for the victory. This is my philosophy as a coach and that’s what I am communicating with the players and that is what they have to do in the future” he said.
When asked about the missing players, Ferreria said: “Xavi and Hassan al-Haydous will miss this match because of injury.”
“There is no easy game. Maybe some players think that the game is easy and that can cause surprises during the game. And as a coach I am careful against any opponent and ask my players to play each match with full concentration and determination.
 “It’s not impossible but as you said it’s a big gap between us and Al Rayyan. But as a coach there is no end till we play our last game in the league.
 “We still have our targets that we are working for during our training. We are looking to get three points from each match.
 “I have seen during my career a lot teams who lost the title despite having a 9-10 points lead and so anything is possible in football. And at the end we don’t have just one team playing for the title.
 “Many teams are trying to get there. We still have points on the field. Hopefully our team will get a winner’s mentality and we will fight till the end of the league to win all games.”
Mesaimeer coach Rodion Gacanin said his team has injury concerns going into the clash at Al Ahli Stadium.
“The first part of the league is finished with us in the last position. The three teams directly in front of us have been able to get a few points and put some distance between us and them. For tomorrow’s game we will miss seven players,” Gacanin said
 “Considering the quality of players that we have and the strength of the squad, it will be a difficult game for us. But Al Sadd too have players missing for this match. Tomorrow we will go to the field, hope to play well and look for a positive result.
“Hopefully we will be able to bring in new players in January. I will give the management a report of my team’s performance so far. Give them a list of the players that I am not satisfied with and also the list of players that I want. And I hope that these players will come to us next week and start training with us.”
 “We must bring in better local players and better foreign players. I have been saying this. Players who have been playing in the second division are not at the level that is needed in this league.
 “They lack the agility and the quality. Some players need three days to recover after a game. Now they are much better than when we started but that is not good enough for this level,” he added.