Al Duhail coach Sabri Lamouchi spoke to the media ahead of their 2020-21 season QNB Stars League Week 17 match against Al Gharafa.

“After our 2021 Qatar Cup semifinal victory Al Gharafa, our focus has been more on the recovery of our players and restoring their physical readiness in preparation for the next match against Al Gharafa, in which we have to make greater efforts in order to achieve victory.

“Our squad could witness a number of changes, but we must take into account the element of harmony and the need to maintain balance within the group. For me, I will count on the best 11 players to play this match. Facing Al Gharafa again is a new challenge.

“Regarding the changes, when I saw where the previous match was heading for, I had to make some decisions that had the possibility of success or failure. The coach is always responsible for his choices and we should make changes to improve the team’s performance and achieve the result we want.

“We will play all matches with full force and will continue to compete for all titles. Al Duhail are used to play for titles,” said Lamouchi.

Al Duhail player Ali Malolah Karami said, “Our team is ready to face Al Gharafa. In the 2021 Qatar Cup semifinal, we did not provide the required level, but we succeeded in achieving the victory. The most important thing for us was to reach the final.

“I aspire to be in the starting line-up and to present my best levels to gain a distinguished position in the squad. When a player is in a big club such as Al Duhail, he must present his best levels if he wants to be in the starting line-up, as the team is full of stars with distinguished levels.

“Successive matches of late have made players exhausted and that was evident in our performance against Al Gharafa in the Qatar Cup semifinal. Victory will help us retain the second place in the table.”