Injured foot rules out Sadd’s Xavi for one month

Al Sadd will miss the services of captain Xavi Hernandez for one month as he sustained an injury during their QSL Cup third round match against Al Sailiya, that ended in a 3-3 draw last Friday. According to Al Sadd club’s website, Xavi underwent a medical examination that confirmed a torn muscle on his right foot. The Spanish star is to undergo a rehabilitation programme for four weeks.Meanwhile, Al Sadd’s South Korean midfielder Jung Woo-Young continued his recovery process from an ankle injury he suffered during their QNB Stars League Week 10 match against Al Ahli. He participated in warm-up exercises.Currently Al Sadd has eight players in the Qatar squad for the friendlies. They are Saad al-Dossari, Boalem Khoukhi, Abdulkarim Hassan, Tariq Salman, Salem al-Hajri, Akram Afif, Hassan al-Haydous and Pedro Miguel. Five other players (Meshaal Barsham, Hatem Kamal, Bahaa al-Lithy, Hassan Ahmed, Yousuf Abdelrazaq) are with the Qatar U-23 team while Baghdad Bounedjah has joined the Algerian national team camp for 2019 AFCON qualifier against Togo.Sadd are preparing for their away match against Al Arabi, dubbed the Qatar Derby, in Week 13 of the QNB Stars League on 24th November. Al Sadd resumed their training without players who are on international duty. Al Sadd are second in the QNB Stars League standings with 23 points.Al Sadd head coach Jesualdo Ferreira used yesterday’s session to work on the physical fitness of the available players, in order to ensure they are in top condition before the resumption of the league.Meanwhile, Al-Sadd goalkeeper Saoud al-Hajri made his return to training after recovering from a partial cruciate ligament tear that he suffered while playing the QatarGas League. Al-Hajri will continue to train under the goalkeeping coach Eduardo Perez before joining the first team for group training.Al Rayyan to miss Soria, regain Jonathan’s servicesAl Rayyan will miss striker Sebastian Soria for two to three weeks due to an injury. At the same time, Al Rayyan got back the services of striker Jonathan Menendez after a long injury layoff. The club’s medical team gave the Argentinian the green light to take part in training.Meanwhile, Al Rayyan announced that Abdulrahman al-Korbi would undergo a medical examination at Aspetar to determine the size of the tear he suffered during their 3-1 win over Al Shahania in Round 3 of the QSL Cup last Friday. He is likely to be out of action at least for two weeks. Rayyan will play Umm Salal in Week 13 of the QNB Stars League on 23rd November.Al Duhail defender Lucas recovering from injuryAl Duhail defender Lucas Mendez is recovering from a muscle injury that kept him out of action. The Brazilian, who is undergoing a treatment programme under the supervision of the team’s fitness coach, is one of the most prominent defenders in the QNB Stars League.Duhail are gearing up for their QNB Stars League Week 13 match against Al Khor, scheduled for 24th November. Following their 1-1 draw with Umm Salal in Round 3 of the QSL Cup last Saturday, Al Duhail players will resume training on Tuesday. Players who are on international duty will join the squad later. Al Duhail are leading the QNB Stars League standings with 31 points.