Al Duhail coach Hernan Crespo spoke to the media ahead of their 2022-2023 season Ooredoo Cup final against Umm Salal.

“We are targeting our first title in the current season.

“We succeeded in reaching this stage of the tournament after playing six matches against big teams and we were able to win five matches and draw one. The team was not defeated at all and this means to us that the team is doing well.

“Umm Salal’s presence in the final shows their ambitions and this deserved to be there. It also means that they have the resources to reach thus far and that should make us study the opponents well. These matches can’t be assessed based on the results of the league and the team that has the highest concentration will win the title. We will prepare our players well in order to win the first title this season.

“In cup matches, it is not possible to rely on the ranking of teams in the league. Now we are facing a challenge from only one match.

“We will rely on players who are physically and technically ready, and we will prepare all our players. This is a match that cannot be taken for granted and we must be at the top of our focus in order to appear at the level that guarantees us the title,” said Crespo.

Al Duhail player Nam Tae-Hee said, “The final will not be easy and our goal is to win the cup. We are expecting a difficult game against a motivated team that succeeded in proving its worth and deserved to reach this stage after they topped their group and beat Al Arabi in the semifinal. Their players will be focused on winning the title.

“We will take to the field with the same ambition as Umm Salal and we have the determination, seriousness and desire to win our first title in the season. We will do everything required inside the stadium in order to win this title and make our fans happy, especially since we also succeeded in leading our group and in the semifinal, we faced a fierce competitor in Al Sadd. We were able to beat them and now we have only one step ahead of us from winning the championship, and that is an important incentive for us.

“Our team is progressing well. We are now at the top of the league's standings and we have reached the final of Qatar Cup 2023. We have the Ooredoo Cup final and quarterfinals of Amir Cup, and this indicates that Al Duhail will be a fierce competitor in all tournaments during the season.

“The will be exciting and strong, and we expect our fans’ support and presence in the final. It will greatly boost our morale, so we can taste our first title this season.”