Al Duhail coach Hernan Crespo spoke to the media ahead of their 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League Week 2 match against Muaither.

“Everyone classifies Al Duhail as the best, which seems clear on paper, but we know we will face a team that will throw its weight on the field in order to come up with a positive result. On our part, we will strive to achieve our second victory after we appeared well in the first match against Al Ahli.

“I always talk to the players to urge them to do the best, and in the last round the players appeared well and I see that there is development and progress in performance. If they train well, they will appear well in the matches and there is still room for further development in the coming period.

“Regarding the absence of player Edmilson, I must say that we need to wait till he recovers and I hope he returns quickly,” said Crespo.

Al Duhail player Khaled Mohammed said, “The against Muaither will not be easy. We are expecting a difficult game against a team that succeeded in achieving promotion to the Expo Stars League this season. They will certainly go into the match with the ambition to come out with a positive result and this is what will make it challenging and requiring focus.

“This season will be different from last season and it will not be easy for all clubs, but we must work hard in order to retain the league title.”