Al Rayyan coach Nicolas Cordova stressed the importance of his side's Thursday's match against Al Sailiya in Week 8 of the 2022-23 season QNB Stars League.
The 43-year-old said: "There is no room for mistakes and we must achieve victory. It is an important match for us. We were not lucky in many matches and we must achieve victory.
"About the return of Abdulaziz Hatem and Osama Al Tairi, and the new contract with Japanese Shogo (Taniguchi), I would say that the return of Hatem and Osama is very important and will strengthen the team. Shogo has a strong personality and wonderful capabilities, and he will be a very important player for the team during the coming period.
But we lack two foreign professional players and three local players, and the absence of these players is crucial. We hope that the team lines will be complete soon because absences are not a positive thing".
Al Rayyan player Ibrahim Masoud said, "Facing Al Sailiya will not be easy because the two teams are close to each other in terms of points.
"The break was beneficial for the team especially since we played some friendly matches in addition to the FIFA Referee Cup, where we performed well, and we hope to present a strong level in the next match."
