Al Rayyan coach Leonardo Jardim spoke to the media ahead of their 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League Week 7 match against Al Gharafa.

“The next match against Al Gharafa will be a big derby and both teams are very keen to score a win, therefore the level of the match will be high.

“The two formidable teams that are expected to win the league are Al Sadd and Al Duhail and after that come Al Gharafa, Al Rayyan and Al Arabi, who will fight for the top places in the league championship.

“Our goal is to achieve the valuable three points. I hope the fans would attend in more numbers to support and boost the morale of the team,” said Jardim.

Al Rayyan player Bassam Al Rawi said, “The match against Al Gharafa is important for the players to continue their winning run in the league.

“Facing Al Gharafa would be difficult. Both teams want to get the three points and we are ready. Our goal is to achieve victory.

“The match is important and the Al Gharafa team is competing with us for points so we ask for a greater presence of Al Rayyan fans for the match because their presence is important to us.

“Leading the rankings is an incentive for us to continue winning and the team is ready for this match. We shall live up to our responsibility.”