Doha: Al Gharafa coach Pedro Martins, and Al Rayyan coach Poya Asbaghi spoke to the media ahead of their 2024-2025 season Ooredoo Stars League Week 3 match.
Martins said: “We are preparing in the same way we prepare for every match, seriously and professionally and focusing on what we have to do. Certainly we are not happy and I know that we are preparing for a difficult match, but on the other hand we are strong in the dressing room, especially after the loss to Al Ahli. We know our responsibility completely and at the same time I feel the strength of the group.” “I think that no one will change anything, I will not change the way we play and I am sure that the Al Rayyan coach will not do that either. We lost, that is true, we have ambitions like Al Rayyan and I see that it will be a difficult and balanced match,” he added.
“Fabricio Diaz and Muntari will be absent. However, there is a possibility of Ahmed Al Janahi returning. We hope that Diaz will recover quickly because he is a fighting player and we ex
pect him to return sooner than the doctor said. I am sure that our fans are not happy and we are not happy either, so we want to unite like last season and as happened in the AFC Champions League in the last match. We are fighting for that and we need their help in these moments when we are not in good condition,” said Martins.
For his part, Al Rayyan coach Poya Asbaghi said: “We will play against another difficult competitor who succeeded in qualifying for the AFC Champions League Elite. They are a strong team and have a solid defensive line. Despite their loss, they create many opportunities and have not conceded many goals in either the AFC Champions League or the league, so we know that we will face difficulties, and we have to do a great job and we have the quality to win against Al Gharafa.” “We are waiting for the players’ reaction in this match after losing to Al Duhail and the Al Gharafa match is different from Al Duhail. We trust in our abilities in order to achieve victory,” said Asbaghi.
Source
: Qatar News Agency