Al Gharafa coach Andrea Stramaccioni spoke to the media ahead of their 2021-2022 season QNB Stars League Week 4 match against Umm Salal.

“In the last match against Al Duhail, we started well. The first half was balanced, but the penalty kick changed the course of the match and the result of our progress. As a consequence, we lost. The match against Umm Salal will be difficult. They have started the league well and have been in good form. They played well against Al Rayyan also. We will be required to prepare the team for the match with a high degree of focus.

“We are waiting for the medical reports on Sofiane Hanni and Ahmed Alaaeldin. As for Amro Seraj, unfortunately, his injury will take longer to heal. We have to prepare the bench players too for this game. I have confidence in all of my players. In the last match, we played young players such as Andri, Abdullah Al Saei, Jassim Al Zaraa and Yousef Saeed, all of whom are the next generation of Al Gharafa players,” said Stramaccioni.

Al Gharafa player Mohammed Al Musalami said, “Like in any other sport, in football also, you win some, you lose some. But our ambition as players remains the same – to achieve positive results. There were some mistakes that contributed to the loss. God willing, we will play better in the upcoming matches.

“I take responsibility for the second goal in the last match and I could have been better in dealing with the ball through which the goal was scored against us. We can deliver a better performance and rise after our last defeat. We have a good mix of experience and youth on player front and they can help the team return to winning ways.”