Al Duhail coach Sabri Lamouchi spoke to the media ahead of their 2020-21 season QNB Stars League Week 9 match against Al Arabi.

“It is an important and difficult match for Al Duhail in light of the circumstances the team is going through at the moment. We could not win the last two matches. We are a team that creates a lot of opportunities, but we lack confidence at the moment and our competitors are scoring from simple opportunities. This matter can be avoided by focusing on the pitch.

“In our match against Al Sailiya, we had 70 per cent ball possession and created many chances while the opponents managed to score at the first opportunity and from a corner kick despite our possession and series of attacks. This matter can be overcome with work and faith in our ability.

“If there is a change, it can be the basis for raising the level of confidence among the players. The players must continue with great efforts as we do not have many options. We must continue to attack and stay together in defence and we should continue to fight on the pitch,” said Lamouchi.

Al Duhail player Karim Boudiaf said, “Our team can and will return to its normal level in the near future. We are ready for this clash. We know that it will be difficult, but we will play to win. We want a win to get our confidence back after the last loss against Al Sailiya.

“Looking at the statistics, you will see that this is the first time that the team is going through such a phase, which is difficult. But in the end, we will not give up and we must work to return to the winning path, which we are used to.”