Al Rayyan, Al Gharafa Coaches Stress Importance of Tomorrow's Game

Doha, September 06 (QNA) - Al Gharafa coach Slavisa Jokanovic underscored the importance of his team's match against Al Rayyan in the 2020-21 QNB Stars League Week 2 match. "We are trying to make the team ready to be in good shape through training. There is not much difference between our team and Al Rayyan. We know the importance of this match for both teams," Jokanovic said. "It is good that we scored full points against Qatar SC, but we must continue to progress and be ready to do what is necessary. "Al Rayyan finished in the second-place last season, one point behind Al Duhail. They are a team with good players. I am sure everyone who follows football in Qatar knows Al Rayyan well and we also know them well. "However, our focus will be on what we see as a source of danger for us and we will also work to take advantage of their weaknesses. For us, it was important to start the season by winning over Qatar SC and collecting the three points, but that match has become a thing of the past and we must now focus on the next fixture against Al Rayyan," said Jokanovic. "Al Gharafa player Adlene Guedioura said, "What was important for us at the start of the new season was to present our best in the first three league matches, which are played in a space of 10 or 11 days. "Having beaten Qatar SC, we will now play our second match against Al Rayyan and we know that it will be a big match. Al Rayyan are a good team having outstanding players, such as my fellow-Algerian Yacine Brahimi. They are solid in defense as well." Meanwhile, Al Rayyan coach Diego Aguirre said that his team focuses on the victory despite missing some names. "We have to do what we have to do especially since we had a difficult start to the season as a result of losing some players. But we should not say it as an excuse and we should focus only on presenting a strong and good match, because simply we must believe in our strength as a team. We have great players and we have to continue what we did last season," Aguirre said. "We must admit that the Al Gharafa match is difficult, especially since they are one of the best teams. We must remember what happened last season, as Al Rayyan lost just one game and that was against Al Gharafa. Therefore, we must be wary of them. "We must definitely finish the first three weeks of action with maximum number of points. After that, there will be a break. We must utilize the break and see if there are players joining the team during that time. We have to face the reality," Aguirre added. (QNA)