We enter tournaments with aim to win: Duhail coach Belmadi

WithAl Duhail in contention for three more titles this season, coach DjamelBelmadi said his team are ready for the decisive matches in the comingdays.Al Duhail play Al Gharafa in the Qatar Cup semifinal tomorrow.“Westill have the same determination to win titles. Our team displayedstrong performances despite the busy match schedule. We are ready forthe cup fixtures. We have a lot of important work to do because we havedecisive matches next month in addition to the Emir Cup. We reiteratethat we enter all tournaments with the aim of winning the title. Allmatches are important for us and my team proved its potential,” Belmadisaid.“Al Duhail is the most important stop in my coaching careerbecause the team includes a large group of young players and they arethe best currently. I wish to see players such as Bassam al-Rawi,Abdulla Abdelsalam and Nasser al-Yazidi play in the 2022 FIFA World Cupin Qatar,” added Belmadi.“I am satisfied with my players’performance. I think our match against Al Gharafa will be very tough andstrong especially since Al Gharafa had many good performances in thesecond phase of QNS Stars League. Also, Al Gharafa won their lastgroup-stage match in the AFC Champions League.“I have hugeconfidence in my players. I wished for (Youssef) Msakny to be with us. Ideal with players not according to their age or name, but with theirefforts on the pitch,” added Belmadi.Commenting on the VideoAssistant Referee to be used in the Qatar Cup, the Algerian said, “Ireally support it because it is crucial for the development of the gameas small details can decide the outcome of a game.”Al Duhail playerKarim Boudiaf said, “The cup matches are different than league gamesbecause no one can predict the result. We have a team capable of pullingoff a win despite the difficulty of Qatar Cup because we have with ussuch strong teams like Al Sadd, Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa. There is a bigdifference with Al Gharafa of late as they are a transformed side afterthe recruitment of Wesley Sneijder, Assim Madibo and Mehdi Taremi.”Looking forward to the match: Gharafa coachAl Gharafa coach Bulent Uygun was looking forward to the match against QNB Stars League winners.“Iwould like to congratulate Al Duhail on winning the league title. Wefinished the league in the fourth position and presented goodperformances in the AFC Champions League. Had it not been for somerefereeing mistakes, we would have qualified for the next round,” hesaid.“The Qatar Cup is a very important competition and all clubsare looking forward to winning the title. I hope luck will be on ourside. We are facing Al Duhail, who had not lost this season in the QNBStars League.“I took over the technical responsibility of Al Gharafain the second phase at a time when we had a tough time by the end ofthe first half. However, the available players presented their best andour ambition was to reach the top four. The Qatar Cup is crucial for allclubs. We are seeking the title and are counting on our fans to supportus.“We have a number of injured players, some with minor injurieswhile others have serious injuries such as Almahdi Ali and Thamer Jamal.They may not play this match. We are all focused on the Al Duhail gameand are confident of winning. We are not afraid of Al Duhail, but werespect them.”Al Gharafa player Sneijder said, “We are aware thatthis match is tough, however we are here now in the semifinal because weemerged as the fourth in the league table which was not an easy task.Al Duhail are one of the best teams in Qatar. I have played against themonly once, in the league. They have players of high calibre. At thesame time, our squad has improved a lot of late.”