Al Markhiya coach Madjid Bougherra spoke to the media ahead of their 2023-2024 Expo Stars League Week 16 match against Al Duhail.

“Al Duhail are one of the big teams in Qatar, and although they are currently not in a good position, they may appear before us in a different way than it was, because they are certainly looking for a win in this match just like us, and they are waiting. This is the opportunity to get three points, so it is a difficult match for both teams.

“The team is prepared for this game as we did in the previous match, as most players play after every four or five days, and this means that the first thing to do is to focus on recovery, and this is the most important thing.

“The team’s ambition is to remain in the league. Given the ranking table and the team’s situation, we have to play every match in order to win, that’s all, and this is the mentality with which we want to fight every minute of the match. We need to provide more. From 100 per cent, and every player must give 200 per cent in his position, we will play all the matches in order to win and stay in the league.

“The victory over Al Wakrah was very important, because we need to stay in the league, and we must take the path of the champion if we want to survive. We still have eight matches left, so we need to win most of the matches,” said Bougherra.

Al Markhiya player Bashar Resan said, “The players’ preparations were good for this match, especially after the last round in which the team obtained three important points against Al Wakrah.

“Al Duhail are one of the big teams and have high-level players, and God-willing, our team will be fully prepared and implement everything the technical staff require on the field to achieve a positive result.

“It is certain that the victory over Al Wakrah came at the right time, and the competition continues until the end of the season. As players, we respect all teams, and we play all matches as if they were finals. We respected the Al Wakrah team, which is one of the best teams in the league, and nothing is impossible, but there are difficulties that need to be overcome.”