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Qatar tribune
Tribune News NetworkDohaAl Sadd will take on Umm Salal in the second round of the QNB Stars League 2022-2023 season on Tuesday aiming to return to winning ways.The kick-off is at 5.30pm at the Khalifa International Stadium.Defending champions Al Sadd enter the clash smarting from their opening round 3-4 defeat to Al Markhiya while Umm Salal are aiming to recover from their 0-1 loss against Al Ahli.The loss to Al Markhiya also ended Al Sadd’s run of 47 consecutive wins in the league and as such they would be eager for a fightback. The former champions have been hampered by the absence of many of their star players (now training with the Qatar National Team for the FIFA World Cup 2022). They, however, still have leading stars in Spaniard Santi Cazorla, South Korean Jung Woo-young and Ghanaian Andre Ayew besides many new young players under the new coach Spaniard Juan Manuel Lillo ‘Juanma’.Speaking on the eve of the match, Juanma said, “I’ve liked the Umm Salal team a lot. We watched their last match and they have good players who can be match-winners and as such our match against them will be difficult.“In our last match against Al Markhiya, the result did not reflect the events of the match. We played well for 28 minutes and after that we faced some difficulties and conceded goals, so we lost the match,” he added.Juanma is hoping for his young and not so experienced players to come good soon. “In the absence of many senior players in our team, it is good for young players to have the opportunity to play in matches. We trust ourselves a lot and all players who are with us at the moment. We are preparing well and our goal will be the three points,” he said.Umm Salal on the other hand would be looking for a positive result with the guidance of their national coach Wissam Rizk, who has the services of Ivorian forward Jonathan Kodjia, Dutch Dries Saddiki, Portuguese Joao Carlos Teixera and Uzbek Sardor Rashidov among others.Umm Salal will surely be a tough and fierce competitor and look to exploit Al Sadd’s vulnerability (if any) while aiming to log the first three points.Rizik said, “The team’s preparations for the Al Sadd match were very serious and every player realizes the importance and strength of the upcoming game. It will be a special meeting because it is against the champions despite their stumble in the first round. That does not reflect their level.“We are currently focusing on facing Al Sadd. The Al Ahli match we made some mistakes, therefore we tried during the preparations to correct them so that they would not be repeated again.”“The next match will undoubtedly be difficult for both teams and each of us seeks to compensate after losing the first round. We also hope to reduce mistakes and take advantage of the opportunities available to the players,” he added.Umm Salal midfielder Dries Saddiki, said, “We have to give 100 per cent in order to win and make up for what we lost in the first round against Al Ahli. We will even fight and stay focused.”Qatar SC to meet Al MarkhiyaIn the other second round match of the day, Qatar SC will meet Al Markhiya at the Education City Stadium at 7.40pm.While both sides will go into the match aiming for a win, the newly-promoted Al Markhiya, who beat defending champions Al Sadd in the opening round, will be motivated to continue with their good success.Qatar SC lost to Al Arabi in the first round and would be eager to bounce back with a win. They also have Moroccan defender Badr Benoun having included him in the ranks to be an addition to the team this season.With their top-notch 4-3 victory over Al Sadd, Al Markhiya gained three valuable points and are third in the points table and would be aspiring to continue their form while Qatar SC will look to get their first three points.Al Markhiya coach Abdullah Mubarak wants his team to continue with the momentum they have gained with a flourishing start. Their Iraqi international Aymen Hussein scored twice while former Al Sadd player Algerian Jugurtha Hamroun was the man-of-the-match with two assists and a goal. Ali Al Mohannadi fetched the winning goal.For Qatar SC, the match is of great importance and a strong contest for Moroccan coach Yousef Safri, who wants his side to register their first win of the league. While he has Benoun to rely on, he will be missing Sebastian Soria who was given the red card during the match against Al Arabi.A few Qatar SC players are also overcoming injuries and Safri would hope for them to be fit in time for the clash against a challenging Al Markhiya.
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09/08/2022
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