Al Gharafa coach Andrea Stramaccioni spoke to the media ahead of their 2021-2022 season QNB Stars League Week 17 match against Al Sadd.

“I was happy that we beat Qatar SC in the last match, before facing Al Sadd. Our team went through difficult circumstances such as the expulsion of Sofiane Hanni and then the injury of Othman Al Yahri in addition to the non-participation of Iranian Saeid Ezatolahi, but the important thing is to return to the winning path and achieve a good result in the last match.

“We know that we will face one of the best teams in the league, and of course we know that if we make any small mistake during this match, Al Sadd are able to exploit it, so we must focus well.

“Al Gharafa are not afraid of anyone, and of course we respect all teams, and we have shown that against Al Sadd, Al Duhail, Al Rayyan or any competitor that we always play with our head held high and we play with our capabilities.

“Regarding the return of defender Tamim Al Muhaza after the end of his loan period to Al Khor, I would say he spent a good period in Al Khor and I think he played all the matches. This is important because I think when the player is loaned in an agreed manner, it is a smart decision because the player’s return is after playing there many matches,” said Stramaccioni.

Al Gharafa player Cheikh Diabate said, “We are preparing well for it and we know to what degree our fans are looking forward to our victory. We also, as players, want to win the match and therefore we prepared accordingly.

“It is true that our team includes young players, but they are young players who are good at playing football and they are also good at the level of skill. I always try to tell them that we must win and they are very good listeners.”