Al Gharafa coach Pedro Martins spoke to the media ahead of their 2024-2025 season Ooredoo Stars League Week 2 match against Al Ahli.

“After the Asian victory over Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, I can say that you win this type of match, everyone is happy and everyone enjoys the victory. It was an important victory for us because we will be play in the best competition in Asia, so the group is in good condition. The players are ready for the match against Al Ahli and they are really in good condition, as the level of confidence has increased and this is good for us.

“We have three absences due to injury. Fabricio has been injured since the last match and is not ready for this match, and Al Janahi and Muntari will also be absent.

“Sometimes we face difficulty against teams that gather at the back and perhaps we are not mentally prepared for this type of match compared to other matches and if we want to be champions, we must fight for that we need to be consistent throughout the season,” said Martins.

Al Gharafa player Assim Madibo said, “It was a difficult match (against Shabab Al Ahli) in which we achieved the desired goal and now we have turned the Asian chapter and are focusing on the league.

“It is a difficult match and the level is close between all teams. We watched Al Ahli’s match against Al Wakrah, which is a team with a good attack, and we are ready for the match and promise our fans victory and performance together, God-willing.”