Doha: Al Duhail coach Christophe Galtier has said his team must maintain the winning momentum as they face Umm Salal in the Ooredoo Stars League (OSL) at Khalifa International Stadium today. The Red Knights had a dream start to their title campaign beating Qatar SC 6-1 and Al Rayyan 4-0 in their first two matches. Galtier said Al Duhail must continue the hardwork as they face The Orange Fortress against whom they lost both their league matches last season.
“We know that they have a good attack line, but the most important thing is what we will offer in this match. Will we be satisfied with what we offered and win the previous two matches or will our team continues to work positively and in line with our ambition to continue our victories,” the Al Duhail coach told a press conference ahead of the third round game. “I always hope that the players are motivated and determined to perform better, and it is important before the international break to achieve victory, and this is an important thing,” he added.
Poor performance in the last season cost the Red Knights slot in the AFC Champions League tournaments, and Al Duhail player Ismaeel Mohammad said consistency will be the key for his side in their bid to return to the continental events. “This is the first time that the team is not playing in the AFC Champions League Elite. We must recover from any stumble or setback and return strongly to the Asian championship.
” Umm Salal are fifth in the standings courtesy to their 3-2 victory over Al Shamal last week. It will be a difficult challenge: Sanchez After an early setback against Al Shamal, defending champions Al Sadd bounced back strongly with a 6-1 thrashing of Qatar SC. Coach Felix Sanchez was expecting a “different and difficult challenge” when they host Al Arabi at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium today.
“We will play against a team that achieved good results last season, and it is a team that is difficult to beat as a group. We will try to continue on the same path and do our best to achieve victory,” said Sanchez. “This type of match is considered as a big derby, so I think it is a good opportunity for the fans to enjoy a good football atmosphere in the stadium,” he added.
Al Arabi started their season with draws against Al Shahania and Al Wakrah, with coach Younes Ali telling his ranks to come up with an improved performance. “We must appear strongly in the upcoming match. We will play an important match and we seek to achieve victory, but this will not be achieved unless we face the opponents with high fighting spirit and full concentration from the beginning until the final whistle,” said Younes Ali.
“Al Sadd are not easy opponents and we must do our best possible to get the victory we seek.” Today’s other match will be played between Al Shamal and Qatar SC at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium ..
