Umm Salal coach Pablo Machin spoke to the media ahead of their 2024-2025 season Ooredoo Stars League Week 12 match against Al Rayyan.

“The Al Rayyan match is very important, and we had a good time during the break to prepare the team and prepare for this match. Our full focus is on this match, especially since it comes after the break, which was very beneficial for the players. We used this period to treat the injured players and correct the mistakes, in addition to focusing on the game plans that we will rely on in the upcoming matches. We realize that the second leg of the league will be difficult, and we hope to perform better against Al Rayyan in order to win the three points, especially in view of the great enthusiasm shown by the players during the past period.

“Al Rayyan are a strong team and everyone knows that it is a big club. We have to find solutions to achieve victory, especially since the opposing team is going through a coaching change, which may give its players additional motivation and noticeable improvement. Therefore, we must be careful and well prepared for this match.

“The team is ready and strong and looking forward to achieving victory. We will do our best in the Al Rayyan match to achieve a positive result. I have full confidence in the players’ abilities to deliver a distinguished performance that will help achieve our goal,” said Pablo Machin.

Umm Salal player Kenji Gorre said, “My teammates and I are looking forward to facing Al Rayyan when the league matches resume following the break after the first leg. The Al Rayyan match will be strong, and we are ready to provide a distinguished level that will achieve the three points for us.

“We are working great, and when we look at the team’s ranking in the competition table, we can feel satisfied, but we seek to achieve more positive results and occupy a higher position in the league table.

“We will deal with each match separately until we reach our goal at the end of the season. We will do our best against Al Rayyan to achieve victory and collect the three points.”