A big task awaits Al Arabi in the second week of 2019-20 QNB Stars League against Al Duhail.

Al Arabi winger Mohamed Salah El Neel spoke to QSL website (qsl.qa) in an exclusive interview, ahead of the encounter.

How do you rate your start to this season’s league competition?

Thank God, our beginning was more than excellent, performance and result-wise. That’s because of the good work we did in the pre-season, but we must sustain the momentum in the coming games.

What has changed in Al Arabi this season?

The philosophy of the coach has become clearer and players are able to implement his plans and style.

Tell us about your preparations for the season and the league?

Our preparations were strong. They went off well. It was important to find the right chemistry with new players, especially professionals.

Will Al Arabi be different this season?

Every player and every team enters the competition with ambitions. We certainly hope to be one of the teams competing for the title, although the league will be tougher this season. Our team will fight till last. Results can certainly be very good if we apply ourselves on the pitch.

How competitive can your team be this season?

Competition is linked to continuation of hard work, fighting spirit and high performance as we showed in the game against Al Ahli. That’s what we’ll try to display in all games and, if successful, we’ll be strong contenders.

Are all your players, especially overseas recruits, gelling well?

Yes, there’s harmony in the squad. It’ll increase game by game and reflect on our performance level.

How do you look at Al Duhail match?

The match is important and difficult for both teams. We’ll try to bag three points and make our fans happy.

Which team has more chances of victory?

The team that will show ideal form and be more focused with less mistakes. If we play the same way we played against Al Ahli, especially in the second half, the three points will be ours, Inshallah.

Will your victory against Al Ahli motivate you further?

The victory over Al Ahli in the first league game created a state of joy and optimism in the team. We must now continue to play with high spirit.

What’s your message to Al Arabi fans?

Al Arabi’s performances depend a lot on team spirit. The club has the largest fan base in Qatar. My message to our fans is that their presence always gives us a positive energy to perform well, as happened in the match against Al Ahli. We need their support. We, players, promise them to fight in all games and we hope to acknowledge their support by making them happy.

Finally…

I hope we step up our performance to help the club regain its past glory.