Doha: Al Gharafa coach Pedro Martins, and Al Khor coach Abdullah Mubarak spoke to the media ahead of their 2024-2025 season Ooredoo Stars League Week 1 match.
“We spent about five weeks for strong preparation, which is normal during this stage of the season. The focus was on the physical aspect and most of the players are in good condition, not all of them, of course, as some of them joined us late. In addition, we have some problems due to injuries to some players such as Al Janahi and Muntari, but the main pillars of the team have been present since last season. But we have young players and we can say that we have nearly 95 per cent of the players in good condition,” said Martins.
“I am really happy with the current group. In my opinion, I believe that there are 6 clubs that will compete strongly for the title, which are Al Gharafa, Al Duhail, Al Sadd, Al Wakrah, Al Arabi and Al Rayyan, and these clubs have all the ingredients to compete for the title. We, as technical staff, and players have ambitions t
hat we seek to achieve for the club, so we are here to fight and the competition will be difficult, and we are ready for the kick-off against Al Khor,” He added.
“For me, every match is important and Al Khor team is good and has a coach with great experience and they have very good players with great experience such as Yohan Boli, our player last season, Ruben Semedo and Sofiane Hanni who played for Al Gharafa before and we know his capabilities. We have to be very serious because it is important to start with a good image and most importantly win the three points,” he said.
For his part, Abdullah Mubarak said: “It will certainly be a very competitive match against a strong team who are top contenders, having presented a distinguished level last season.” “We saw their level in the previous season and their competition in the league, but we prepared well tactically and physically, and we are ready for the kick-off and the team is fully prepared,” he added.
“I reassure the fans of Al Khor that their team wil
l be in a good position in the league standings and we seek their support. We are fully prepared physically, psychologically and technically, and our morale is high. The players want to prove that on the field against Al Gharafa,” said Abdullah Mubarak.
Source: Qatar News Agency