Al Sadd’s squad trained yesterday at the club’s training facility, as they prepared for the last 16 AFC Champions League game against Saudi’s Al Ahli.
The first leg will be played at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium tomorrow with the kickoff slated for 7:15pm. The return fixture is scheduled for May 14th in Jeddah.
The Al Ahli team arrived in Doha yesterday evening. Al Sadd qualified for the knockout stage after finishing second in Group C with 12 points, while Al Ahli topped Group A.
On Thursday, Al Sadd had defeated Al Khor 4-0 in the quarter-finals of the Amir Cup, to set up a semifinal clash with Al-Duhail next Friday.
Al Sadd head coach Jesualdo Ferreira praised his players for an excellent performance after the win over Al Khor and said he had asked his players not to exhaust themselves, especially with the AFC Champions League match to be played.
“It was a good result against Al Khor that gives us a psychological boost ahead. Our focus now is on the AFC Champions League game against Al Ahli. I am disappointed that some of our key players will miss that game due to injury,” Ferreira said.
“All of us are now thinking about the game against Al Ahli. Nobody is thinking about the Amir’s Cup semifinal. We will be at our best going into the game,” he added.
Ferreira revealed Ali Asad, Jugurtha Hamroun and Pedro will miss out for the AFC Champions League home game.
Baghdad Bounedjah, who did not play in the Amir Cup quarter-final after being handed two-match suspension for showing dissent in the Qatar Cup final loss to Al Duhail, will return to the side against Al Ahli.
Meanwhile, Duhail will be in action in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday. The QNB Stars League champions will take on UAE’s Al Ain in the round of 16 tie.
