Al Gharafa coach Andrea Stramaccioni spoke to the media ahead of their 2021-2022 season QNB Stars League Week 18 match against Al Khor.

“Certainly everyone is disappointed because the final result (1-5 loss against Al Sadd in Week 18) was not fair because we had a better opportunity to provide more than we did during that match. I don't want that result to affect my team and we have to correct the mistakes.

“The match against Al Khor will not be easy, especially when you play with teams that are good at creating spaces and playing on counter-attacks by players who are fast,. At the same time, we have to return to victories and be ready for the next five matches in the league. That is the most important thing for us.

“We are to regain the services of Sofiane Hanni and we are happy with his return. On the other hand, we will miss the efforts of Saifeldeen (Fadlalla) who is suspended. Among my goals is to work on developing all players to benefit from them and everyone must be ready,” said Stramaccioni.

Al Gharafa player Saeid Ezatolahi said, “It must be said that the situation is not easy when you lose and this is a normal situation, whether in football or in life in general. It is normal to grieve when you do not succeed and the loss against Al Sadd was a difficult moment for everyone, but that is how football is.

“Our next match against Al Khor is important and we will strive to avoid the mistakes we made in the Al Sadd match. I am optimistic and know that our players are professionals and work hard every day in training, and I hope the fans will be happy with the victory.”

“Regardless of Al Khor’s position in the table, it is important to be ready. We must be at the highest levels of concentration because sometimes in football you may think that the match is easy because the competitor’s ranking in the table is not good. In my opinion, it will not be an easy match and we have to respect all competitors, especially Al Khor.”