Al Rayyan coach Laurent Blanc spoke to the media ahead of their 2021-2022 season QNB Stars League Week 1 match against Umm Salal.

"I am very happy with the pre-season preparations for the new season because all players worked wonderfully well. The fact that I saw all bases covered means the players prepared well for the new season. If we do not prepare well, then that means we will not present a special season.

"Now we wait and see. I don't know what the other teams have done. We trained for three or four weeks in Spain. I think the squad prepared well - physically and mentally - so that we can be a force in the new season. The players and I are excited to play the first game in the league because the preparations were long. We started training on the 18th of July and we will play the first match on the 11th of September. This is a very long time. I can't predict the result but we prepared the team - like last year - to win matches whenever we step on the pitch.

"I am not afraid of anything. If you feel afraid at first, you have to change your job. I feel playing football is very motivating and fun. We, at Al Rayyan, have the motivation and desire to play matches for wins. I cannot talk about my goal at the present time as I am waiting for more players to join during the next stage in order to complete the team's roster.

"We made good preparations for the season. Conducting physical exercises were very difficult, but we needed them to prepare for the new season. Unfortunately, Yacine Brahimi was injured in the last friendly match. But he is on his way back to recovery. He returned to Doha to train with the team," said Blanc.

Al Rayyan player Abdulrahman Al Karbi said, "We will be facing a difficult team in Umm Salal at the opening of the new season. I think that the match at the beginning of the league is always difficult and Umm Salal is a team that plays in a defensive manner, but our goal is to start the season well and get the three points.

"Our role, as players, began with a long pre-season training camp to prepare ourselves for the new season. We had a long preparation period. I think the training camp in Spain was special and the team developed well in every way."