Qatar SC coach Youssef Safri spoke to the media ahead of their 2021-2022 season QNB Stars League Week 8 match against Al Duhail.

“Of course, we followed the Al Wakrah match and as we imagined before the confrontation, Al Wakrah were motivated by their victory over Al Duhail in addition to their strengths. Al Wakrah have stability in their ranks, so we realized that the match will be difficult and this is what actually happened.

“Here we must pay tribute to the players of our team who made great efforts in training and matches despite the limited offensive solutions, and we did not make good use of the expulsion of an Al Wakrah player towards the end. Our defensive performance was excellent, thanks to the fighting spirit, and many positives were there in the drawn match. At the same time, we should commend the players’ performance and efforts.

“It will be a difficult game against Al Duhail, a team that has distinct factors, but we target points and I expect the match to witness goals.

“We found it difficult to reach a strong line-up without injuries and there is no doubt that it is part of the game. We have to live with the circumstances in any case, but it can be influential, for example, Youcef Belaili injured his ankle and will not be ready unfortunately, while we have other positive indicators where Djamel Benlamri may join the team,” said Youssef.

Qatar SC player Mohammed Salem Al Rubaie said, “Al Duhail are a great team accustomed to championships. At the same time, we have a strong team ready for the encounter, especially since it is an important challenge for us. Our preparations went off in an excellent manner by focusing on our strengths and building on our positives to achieve better results.

“Our beginning was faltering, but we are now in a much better position with the new technical staff and the unlimited support from the administration and loyal fans. We hope that the next match will be a new start for us.”