Duhail coach Belmadi has total belief in his team

Doha: Al Duhail SC will miss their injured captain Youssef Msakni badly when they take on Al Sadd in the Qatar Cup final on Friday, but coach Djamel Belmadi said he has total belief in his squad even in the absence of the inspirational Tunisian.

Msakni, who has been in stunning form this season, suffered and a cruciate ligament injury in their final QSL match against Al Sailiya and was ruled out of the season as well as from the World Cup.

“Of course, we will miss (Youssef) Msakni. He has had his best season in Qatar overall. He not only excelled in scoring goals, but was also outstanding in giving assists. But I trust this squad. I cannot cry or complain that we do not have the services of Msakni. We have a lot of young players in the squad,” said Belmadi at the pre-match press conference.

Duhail proved in the semifinal against Al Gharafa that they have the players who can seize the opportunity as Nam Tae-Hee scored a stunning hat-trick in their 6-1 victory.

“Against Al Gharafa in the semifinal, we changed our strategy after a goalless first half and got the rewards for it. We were successful in stopping them from building moves from behind. Then, it was easy for us to press hard. And we avoided the mistakes we did in the opening session,” said Belmadi.

The Algerian coach said though Sadd have top class players such as Xavi Hernandez, they are not worried at all.

“Sadd have world-class players such as Xavi (Hernandez) and a very good coach in Jesualdo Ferreira. But I have no worries. I have no fear.

“It is definitely going to be an exciting match and exciting finish when the big two teams in Qatar clash against each other. We respect all teams, not just Al Sadd. I like to see my team score more and more goals and win matches.

 “It is going to be a tight game. I wish it does not go into penalties. We are keen to win this trophy.

Duhail midfielder Luiz Martin said winning the Qatar Cup would be a big boost for the side as they take on Al Ain in the AFC Champions League round of 16.

“We have big respect for Al Sadd. It goes without saying that this is a very important game for both teams. Winning this cup will be a big boost for us in the AFC Champions League’s knockout phase. Our success is because of our hard work,” said Martin. “We have players who are together for many seasons. We are professionals and we have learnt from our mistakes. It is also about our desire to win. When you have 18 strong players, you can be unbeaten.”