Al Wakrah coach Marquez Lopez spoke to the media ahead of their 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League Week 1 match against Muaither.

“We went through a strong preparation camp in Spain, during which we focused on preparing the team from all technical, physical, and psychological aspects, and all I hope is that success will be our ally in this meeting so that we can collect the three points.

“In general, I can say that I am very happy with the level of the players and their good performance, and therefore I confirm that we are fully prepared to play the first match in the league.

“The opening matches are usually not easy and all matches are difficult, and the truth is that I know the coach of Muaither very well, and I realize that he is a very good coach and will prepare his team in the best possible way.

“We will strive for this development to continue, especially since we have high-class players, but I do not know where we will settle in the league table. For sure, we will do everything we can, but for me, I want to be at the top of the rankings, and we hope that the fan attendance will be higher than in previous years, especially in light of the participation in the Asian Championship,” said Marquez.

Al Wakrah player Hazem Shehata said, “Everyone is waiting for this launch to reflect the great efforts that we made during the preparation period on the field.

“The beginning of each season is often difficult, especially since all the teams will be fielding their star players.

“This thing increases the challenges inside the stadium, but Al Wakrah are ready for all matches of the season, not just the first match. We seek to continue the challenges with the start of the season, and we hope to reach advanced positions that are appropriate to the level of Al Wakrah players and what we will present throughout the new season’s competitions.”