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Doha, Qatar: After their disappointing 1-1 draw against Al Arabi, Al Sadd face another tough challenge in Qatar Stars League as they take on Al Rayyan on Saturday.

Sadd coach Xavi Hernandez had said last week that the match against Rayyan would be a matter of life and death for them and another defeat would almost certainly end their title chances.

Rayyan with 35 points are second in the standings, four behind Al Duhail and seven ahead of Sadd and a victory against the Wolves or a draw will help the leaders consolidate their position with a victory against Al Sailiya.

Rayyan had beaten Sadd in the first phase, but coach Diego Aguirre said it doesn’t mean much.

“Beating Al Sadd in the first leg of Clasico is a thing of the past. Such matches are always very difficult,” said Aguirre.

“The match against Al Sadd (Qatar Clasico) is one of the big games that I like. I love the challenge in it. We are ready and we will play with winning mentality.

 “Actually, I do not focus on the race for the title. Our focus is on how to face Al Sadd, achieve victory and get the three points.

Sadd are struggling with injuries with Ali Asad and Salem Al Hajri among the latest to be sidelined, but Aguirre said they have good replacements.

“About the absences in Al Sadd due to injuries, I would say however good players they are, that will not affect them because they will have good replacements. We have to be at our best level if we want to win and collect points,” said Aguirre.

Meanwhile, Sailiya will look for a victory against Duhail as they are hot on the heels of fourth-placed Al Gharafa, who play Al Wakrah on Thursday.

Sailiya coach Sami Trabelsi said they want to finish in the top-four.

 “It is a very important match against a big team, so we are working during the training on focus and discipline in order to come out with a positive result, especially since Al Duhail are the league leaders and one of the best clubs in Asia,” said Trabelsi.

“Although our matches against Al Duhail were always strong, like our matches this season in the league and Qatar Cup, but small details went in favour of the rivals in the previous two games. So we want to correct this because our target is to finish in the top four. At the moment, our target is to get a positive result against Al Duhail.

“Al Sailiya are motivated by the fighting spirit and teamwork. And we will not get overawed by the names and stars of opponents. The essential thing about Al Sailiya is that we respect ourselves and our abilities before everything,” added Trabelsi.

In the other matches of the week, Umm Salal play Al Shahania, Al Ahli meet Qatar SC and Al Arabi take on Al Khor. 

Source: dohastadiumplusqatar.com

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