Qatar Football AssociationNews
13.05.2016 11:57 in :

DOHA: Al Rayyan coach Jorge Fossati said on Thursday he is expecting
his in-form players to guide the team in the Emir Cup semi-final
against defending champions Al Sadd on Friday.

The semi-final will be played at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.

“I have a simple philosophy. We respect all teams we play. We respect
Al Sadd and their quality. But I expect my top players to guide the
team home,” Fossati said on Thursday.

“Al Sadd are a strong side. They have an experienced coach and have
won many trophies,” Fossati said.

“Having said that, we have done really well this season,” Fossati said
of his Qatar Stars League (QSL) title winning players.

“My confidence is sky high because we have played well. We have done
well. We are fully capable of winning this game,” he said. “We have a
great opportunity to win this game and reach the final,” he said.

“All in all, we feel good,” he said.

“It is a special event for teams and the players. The pressure is same
whether we play Al Sadd or any other side since we want to win,”
Fossati said.

“We have a commitment to our fans of doing our best. We will work in
the same direction,” Fossati said.

“I am sure Al Rayyan players will give their 100 percent. We will
fight to reach the final,” he said.

When asked about the influence of captain and striker Rodrigo Tabata,
Fossati said: “We don’t rely on Tabata alone. We have good players all
over the pitch. We have an experienced side. We won the league using
everyone’s contribution.”

Tabata will have strikers Sergio Garcia and Sebastian Soria up front
against Al Sadd.

Al Sadd coach Jesualdo Ferreira said his team ‘feels’ ready.

“For us, this will be like a final. It is do-or-die. We’re taking on
the QSL champions. This is a different event to QSL but equally
important since every sides thinks of winning the Emir Cup title,”
Ferreira said on Thursday.

“We won’t look at our past games for this clash. It’s a new battle. It
will be a different clash. Two strong sides are going to play in this
game,” Ferreira said.

“I think everyone knows that this season hasn’t given us any
silverware. But this does not mean we have not played well. Everyone
at the club, however, feels this a new chance for us to win a trophy,”
Ferreira said.

“The title Emir Cup is the motivation to do well and it shows the
value of winning this event. I think that will make us play to our
best potential,” the coach said.

“I hope this is a good clash than previous Al Sadd-Al Rayyan games. we
are not playing for points. We are playing to win the game,” he said.

“The important thing is to win the game and reach the final. The game
is open. We need to be positive,” Ferreira said.