Al Gharafa coach Pedro Martins spoke to the media ahead of their 2024-2025 season Ooredoo Stars League Week 15 match against Al Shamal.

“Al Shamal have a strong team with good players in attack and it is a team that is having a very distinguished season, and despite their loss to Al Sadd and Qatar SC, their match against Al Sadd was good and balanced, and against Qatar SC, their goalkeeper received a red card and they played 50 minutes with a man short.

“We know that our match against them will be difficult and it is important for us, but we are confident in ourselves and ready for this game, and we consider this type of match as a final because we do not have much time, and we have eight matches remaining, so it is important not to waste points,” said Martins.

Al Gharafa player Matias Nani said, “We did not have enough time to prepare for this match because we were playing a match in the AFC Champions League Elite against Uzbek club Pakhtakor, and I hope that we will be ready for this very important match for us because it is a difficult match against a team that is improving a lot and performing well this season and it will be a special match for me on a personal level.

“I urge our fans to support the team. The league is our goal and we must constantly fight to get points.”