Al Markhiya coach Abdullah Mubarak spoke to the media ahead of their 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League Week 6 match against Al Rayyan.

“Al Rayyan did not win in the past rounds, therefore they will go into the match strongly in order to achieve their first victory and that makes our task tough.

“After the Al Wakrah match, the technical staff focused on preparing the team technically, physically and psychologically. I do not look at other teams, but rather focus only on my team and what they need technically during the match. I hope success will come our way in terms of honourable performance and positive results.

“People have praised the level that we exhibited during the 90 minutes in each match and that counts a lot. Thanks to the combined efforts of technical and administrative staff, fitness trainer and all players, our performance has improved.

“I am satisfied with the team’s performance and the players, but we aspire to be the best and in the safe zone. Therefore, we have to look at each match as a cup match,” said Abdullah Mubarak.

Al Markhiya player Hamad Saeed Balgheit said, “The Al Rayyan match is difficult, but winning it is not impossible.

“The team performed well in the past rounds, even though we lost a number of points, but we will to compensate for it.”