Well-rested Al Sadd fully prepared to face Persepolis, says coach Xavi

Doha, Qatar: Al Sadd are in a confident mood as they face Persepolis in the last 16 of the AFC Champions league and coach Xavi Hernandez said they were ready for Sunday’s crucial encounter at Education City Stadium.

“We are very excited, we want to win and reach the quarter-finals. We will play against the best Iranian team, and it will be a difficult game, like a final, for us,” Xavi said at the pre-match press conference.

“It will be an excellent game and a great opportunity to qualify for the quarter-finals. We respect Persepolis and we will not forget that they knocked us out in the 2018 semi-finals.”

Al Sadd lost their final group game to Sepahan but Xavi had wisely opted to give rest to almost all his regular players, which hopefully will prove to be crucial.

“We must play with balance and great passion in order to get the win. We hope to achieve this by giving our best on the pitch. Our priority in the match against Sepahan was to rest some players after qualifying, but for Persepolis, they needed to qualify.”

He added: “We will face a strong and difficult team. We will play for possession and control of the match, and this is a key point for us. We have an advantage with the rest that the players got, but we must be fully prepared.”

Speaking about playing against the Iranian teams, the coach said: “I told the players that the most spirited matches that I have faced in my career are always against Iranian teams, including Persepolis, who play with great enthusiasm. So we need to play with a lot of passion, like it’s a final and we need to be focused throughout the match, even if we reach the penalty shootout. Otherwise, we will struggle to achieve what we are looking for.”

Xavi also pointed out that the Al-Sadd will have a full-strength team against Persepolis, and said: “All the players of the team are fully prepared and there are no absentees.”

As for playing at Education City Stadium after playing the previous four games at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, the coach said: “Education City Stadium is a big stadium, but it does not change the way we play. Everything is excellent; the conditions are perfect and the weather is very good and it is time to give our best to qualify for the next round.”