Coaches Prepare for QNB Stars League Week 17 Matches

Doha, February 21 (QNA) - The press conferences of the 2020-21 season QNB Stars League Week 17 matches were held today. The matches kick off Monday with Al Duhail against Al Gharafa, Al Kharaitiyat against Al Rayyan and Al Sadd against Al Arabi. Speaking ahead of their match against Al Gharafa, Al Duhail coach Sabri Lamouchi said: "After our 2021 Qatar Cup semifinal victory Al Gharafa, our focus has been more on the recovery of our players and restoring their physical readiness in preparation for the next match against Al Gharafa, in which we have to make greater efforts in order to achieve victory. "Our squad could witness a number of changes, but we must take into account the element of harmony and the need to maintain balance within the group. For me, I will count on the best 11 players to play this match. Facing Al Gharafa again is a new challenge. "Regarding the changes, when I saw where the previous match was heading for, I had to make some decisions that had the possibility of success or failure. The coach is always responsible for his choices and we should make changes to improve the team's performance and achieve the result we want. "We will play all matches with full force and will continue to compete for all titles. Al Duhail are used to play for titles," said Lamouchi. For his part, Al Gharafa coach Slavisa Jokanovic said: "We have to focus on ourselves Install Messenger and be ready for the contest. Al Duhail will not be different from what we saw in the previous match (Qatar Cup semifinal which Al Duhail won 2-1) and there are not many secrets between us. We know them well as they know us and we must be more effective and take advantage of the opportunities that arise during the match. "We have to put behind the disappointment of losing to Al Duhail in the Qatar Cup. We are focusing now on what is coming. We may go back to the previous match and analyze it. "But we are facing a new challenge and we have to be ready to press hard to get a better result than what we got in the last match. We hope to make use of the opportunities and focus on Al Duhail match," said Jokanovic. Speaking ahead of their QNB Stars League Week 17 match against Al Kharaitiyat, Al Rayyan coach Laurent Blanc said: "The importance of this match is that it is a very good opportunity for us to get back to the winning path, and we respect the opponents very much. "We played difficult matches against Al Duhail and Al Sadd clubs in the league and 2021 Qatar Cup semifinal respectively, and the games were difficult physically and technically. We made great efforts in those matches. "We will play the match against Al Kharaitiyat in order to win and the opponent will also play for victory. I respect all teams and I hope that there will be no psychological impact on the players because of the loss in the last two games, as we played against the best teams in the league, which are Al Sadd and Al Duhail. "Everyone knows that there are injuries in the team to some of the key players and we have prepared the team well. The players are determined to win and I appreciate and respect the opponent. "I hope we will play a good game, as we did against Al Duhail and Al Sadd. But they were better than us in some aspects, so we will continue to work. We have a vision to prepare a strong team such as Al Duhail and Al Sadd, so I hope we win and the results improve. "I have studied Al Kharaitiyat well and watched many videos of their games. They are a good team and it is not easy at all against them," sad Blanc. For his part, Al Kharaitiyat coach Wesam Rizik said: "We know Al Rayyan's strengths, but we'll fight it out till the last minute of the league to collect the maximum number of points in order to get out of the relegation zone. We are hopeful of our survival in the top flight as we target many points from the remaining matches. "We were very disappointed with the dismissal of striker Rashid Tiberkanine in the previous match and we have lost his services against Al Rayyan, but there is great confidence in all the players to make up for his absence in this match. "We will work to display all our abilities and all players must redouble their efforts. God-willing, we will achieve victory and collect full points," said Wesam. Al Sadd coach Xavi Hernandez, speaking to the media ahead of their QNB Stars League Week 17 match against Al Arabi, said: "It will be a difficult match. Everyone will remember that Al Sadd suffered in the 2019-20 season Amir Cup final because Al Arabi defended well. Plus, they have not conceded many goals of late. They have improved a lot with the presence of very good players in the defence, such as Marc Muniesa and Ayoub Azzi. And then, they have new players, like Yousef Mskani, who has added value to the squad and all that will make it difficult for us. "We are having good times and, God-willing, we can win the league in the next match if Al Duhail lose against Al Gharafa. Even otherwise, if we win the next two matches, we will be the champions. Our focus is now on the Al Arabi match and, as I said, it will be difficult because the opponents have not suffered any defeat in the last seven rounds. We are playing at our stadium and we want to create opportunities and play well. Now let us see the players' condition to determine the squad to play, maybe we will do the rotation because some players participated in a lot of matches in a short period of time. "I am sad for Al Arab coach (Heimir Hallgrimsson), who is suffering from Coronavirus. I had also contracted the virus in the summer. This is life and I wish him a speedy recovery. I will miss him and I wish him all success because I respect him as a coach and as a human being," said Xavi. For his part Al Arabi assistant coach Alexanderson said: "We will definitely miss the presence of coach Heimir Hallgrimsson (who is sick). We have prepared as usual and this is a good opportunity for the players to show their skills and also to shine and show their love for the group and the team. "We try to maintain the same rhythm as happened in the past weeks. Therefore, there will not be major changes to the team, but it will be evident in the absence of the coach, whom we will certainly miss and we hope he returns quickly to the team. "We have been putting up good performances of late. In my opinion, we are very good defensively and we co-ordinate well collectively. We always try to improve our performance and know our strengths and weaknesses. "Playing against Al Sadd will not be easy as they have outstanding players. They are the best in the league and closest to winning the title, and we know their strengths as well, so it will be a great match. "If we continue to believe in our strengths and maintain our focus, we can defeat any team. We need to focus on ourselves," said Alexanderson. (QNA)