Lekhwiya defender Chico Flores has insisted that his side will have to maintain their focus defensively ahead of their crunch round 20 game against run away league leaders Al Rayyan. Flores sat down with QSL online to chat about the big game.

How do you see the Rayyan match going?
The Al Rayyan match will be a tough test. They are the clear league leaders and our playing well, also the timing of the game after a champions league match means this will be a difficult game for us.

Do you think Lekhwiya can win this tie?
We have the potential to win, no doubt. If we are to win, I think we will have to keep our composure throughout the game. Al Rayyan are the leaders and a victory would be important for us moving forward in other competitions.

Lekhwiya lost to Al Rayyan in the first half of the season, how can you turn this result around?
Every game has different conditions going into it. In the match in the first half of the season, we had many absences from the first team. Also, the match was very tight right until the final minutes when Al Rayyan scored two late goals. That is why we will have to focus to the very end in this match.

Who do you think tactically will have the upper hand?
Both sides have good coaches that know the league well. We have a fantastic group of players and we have tactical discipline, we know our duties and what we have to do on the pitch to succeed.

How do you rate Al Rayyan’s attack?
Rayyan have the best strikers in the league, you only need to look at the league table to show that. However I think defensively we are capable of stopping them.

What are your aims for this season?
Lekhwiya is a side that is always competing for trophies. The aims are the same for this season, we will be focusing on the Qatar and Emir cups, whilst going as far as we can in the AFC Champions League.