Al Sailiya coach Sami Trabelsi and player Majdi Siddiq spoke to the media ahead of their 2020-21 season Ooredoo Cup final against Al Rayyan, to be played at the Al Sadd Stadium on Friday, 26th March. The kick-off is at 17:00.

Trabelsi said, “It will definitely be a strong match against Al Rayyan. We see it as an opportunity to correct the situation and appear better, and improve results that have not gone well for us in the recent period.

“Al Rayyan are an excellent and balanced team that is going through a good period with good results as they have very high-level players. And since the arrival of coach Laurent Blanc, their team has shown how to advance to the top four in the league.

“Al Sailiya’s matches with Al Rayyan are always full of excitement and we have succeeded in many matches to outperform Al Rayyan, and we hope that it will be repeated in the Ooredoo Cup final.

“We have prepared well for the match and are focused on the psychological aspect of a game like this because the team does not suffer technically, but rather on the mental side only. We know that lack of focus from players was seen in many matches we have played recently including the Al Wakrah match in the semifinal. As a result, we committed mistakes that cost the team many goals.

“Therefore, we have to do our best to achieve victory especially after we got a second chance to be in the final by winning our semifinal. Being in the final is an opportunity to compete for an important title and achieve the first championship trophy in the history of Al Sailiya club.”

Majdi said, “I hope we will have an edge in the final than Al Rayyan. In order to win and get the cup, we have to play aggressively. The final match is a good opportunity to appear at a better level to achieve the title.

“We hope that we will make history to achieve the first championship title for our club. These are cup matches and a good opportunity for the players to shine and get spotlight. I have spent eight seasons with Al Sailiya during which I experienced many feelings, difficulties, joys and sorrows. Without a doubt, having a title and championship will give us great joy for me and my colleagues. Winning the title will be a historical thing for us.”