Al Rayyan coach Laurent Blanc spoke to the media ahead of their 2021-2022 season QNB Stars League Week 7 match against Al Sailiya.

“I think we can compete for the league, but the problem in the league is that it has passed a month. I will not talk about it because it is not an excuse for me, but the fact is that we got players late. They cannot give one hundred per cent of the performance. After the Amir Cup final, we will play three matches in 12 or 13 days, which is complicated for Al Rayyan. But this is the schedule and we have to accept that because all teams are in same situation.

“We need to win. After the Amir Cup final loss to Al Sadd, I was disappointed because we deserved a better result.

“I do not know whether the Amir Cup loss will adversely affect the players’ morale. In fact, after a big match against Al Sadd, we are motivated because the match against Al Sadd was very good. I will push the players to take advantage of the situation against Al Sailiya,” said Blanc.

Al Rayyan player Dame Traore said, “We know that playing against Al Sailiya is always difficult and certainly Al Rayyan are able to win against any team in the league.

“Regarding Al Rayyan conceding many goals during the last matches, I would say that we conceded many goals, but we will try to overcome that problem in the future.”