Al Ahli coach Pedro Miguel on Friday said his side will be expect a tough battle when they face Al Gharafa in their Expo Stars League round 14 clash
“We are looking forward to continue our level in the league after the Asian Cup break. We have worked hard to prepare the team to provide the desired level and achieve a result that serves the club’s ambitions in the competition,” Miguel said on Friday.
“The match will not be easy and we will face Al Gharafa who are a technically sound side, but we will work to ensure that Al Ahli are in their best physical and technical condition, especially since the next stage will be full of important games without long gaps. Therefore, the preparation was not only for the Al Gharafa match, but for all games. We are currently focusing on Al Gharafa with the goal of winning and then moving on to the next match,” he added.
“I have confidence in the players’ ability to achieve the desired result against Al Gharafa. It is necessary to play against them with high concentration.
“I have worked with my support staff to prepare the players to provide the best technical performance in the match with the aim of achieving victory.
“I congratulate those in charge of Qatar football on the occasion of Al Annabi winning the Asian Cup for the second time in a row. Qatar deserved to win the title. I hope that the Qatari fans would continue to come to the stadiums and enrich the league with enthusiastic atmosphere,” Miguel said.
Al Ahli player Jassem al-Sharshani said: “We must present a distinguished level against Al Gharafa and come up with a result that satisfies us ambitions.
“The game will not be easy but we, the players, are determined to give off our best on the field. We have a lot to offer and the desire to achieve victories is great among the players, especially since the team did not start the season at the desired level.
“But we are now in a good stage of readiness and will make every effort in order to win matches.
“I feel proud of the great achievement made by our national team by winning the Asian Cup for the second time in a row. As a member of the Qatar Under-23 team, I believe that it will be an incentive for the players to continue on the winning path. I also hope we will have success in Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualification.”
Match against Muaither difficult, our goal is victory: Al Markhiya coach Bougherra Al Markhiya coach Madjid Bougherra spoke to the media ahead of their 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League Week 14 match against Muaither.
“This match is important for the team as Muaither are ahead of us by two points, so it is a six-point match, and it will be difficult for both teams. The players are extremely focused as a result of the good preparation that the team made during the break.
“We returned to work after the break. It has been a long time since the last match we played in December and it was good due to the changes we made in the team, and I am very happy with the addition of new players.
“The preparation period was long, which gave us more time to prepare and enhance harmony between the players as quickly as possible. In general, the preparations were good and the break was good for us. We will be fully prepared for the upcoming and decisive games in the league.
“We are of course very happy with the new players and the transfer window. We have done a great job under the guidance of the club president and we thank him for these changes. We have Bashar Resan, who is a high-quality player. He was in the ranks of Qatar SC and we had the opportunity for him to join us, and it is great to have a player of his quality. We also have Ruben Semedo who is also an excellent leader and a good-quality player.
“There is also Ali Jasesmi, who came from Al Rayyan and he is a player with great experience and can help the team. We also have players from Al Duhail and they were with me when I was coach of Al Duhail Under-21 team. They are Abdullah Haroun, Mohamed al-Naimi and Abdulrahman Mohamed. They are talented players and let us not forget Omar Barry. Everyone knows him and we are very happy with his presence as a leader and high-quality player,” said Bougherra.
Goalkeeper Omar Barry, who joined Al Markhiya in the recent winter transfer window, said, “The next match is a new beginning and a new challenge. The preparations were not limited to the next match only, but for all matches. But we must first go step by step and focus now on this game.”