Doha: Al Sadd head coach Felix Sanchez has affirmed his team's readiness for the upcoming match against Al Shahania, which will be held at the Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium as part of Week 17 of the Ooredoo Stars League. Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Sanchez said, "We are approaching the end of the season, and we are now in the last five matches. This is another big match for us, like a final. We are now in the Round of 16 of the AFC Champions League Elite, and we did not have enough time to prepare." Sanchez emphasized the importance of winning the match to stay close to Al Duhail, the league leaders. "If we want to get closer to Al Duhail, we have to win. It is the only result that will help us, and we are well aware of that," he said.

According to Qatar News Agency, Sanchez acknowledged the strong performance of Al Shahania this season. "Al Shahania are having a distinguished season, especially in the second half. It will not be easy to beat them. However, at this stage of the season, I think we are in a good position in terms of results. We will seek to continue performing in the same manner, putting pressure on the teams ahead of us and getting as close to them as possible," Sanchez added.

On the other hand, Al Shahania head coach Jose Murcia highlighted the importance of securing points from the match against Al Sadd to compensate for their loss to Al Duhail in the previous round. "We have prominent absences in the team, such as Francesco Antonucci due to suspension and Marc Muniesa due to injury. However, I have confidence in all the players. For me, all the players are essential," Murcia said.

He added, "We will play in our style and plan, relying on our team play to appear strongly against an integrated team like Al Sadd." Al Sadd currently holds second place with 37 points, just one point behind leaders Al Duhail. Meanwhile, Al Shahania is in seventh place with 23 points, trailing Al Shamal in sixth by goal difference.