Al Shahania coach Jose Murcia spoke to the media ahead of their 2024-2025 season Ooredoo Stars League Week 19 match against Al Shamal.

“We took advantage of the long break to prepare for this important match against Al Shamal. It will be a direct game between two teams with similar positions and similar goals. Both teams are similar and each team is striving to win, so we will do everything we can to secure the three points.

“This is the most important match of the season. The players are ready and I have great confidence in them. We just have to maintain our focus and follow the instructions to achieve victory.

“We have a number of absences, most notably Muniesa, Francesco and Ali Al Amri, but our international players such as Alhassan Koroma, Shehab Ellethi and Moaz Al Wadia have recovered,” said Murcia.

Al Shahania goalkeeper Majed Aiad said, “This is the most important match for us as players. Our focus is not 100 per cent, but 200 per cent, because it is the decisive match of the season. We consider this match as a final for us, so we will work to implement the coach’s instructions and focus on achieving victory.

“We promise Al Shahania fans that we will get the three points, but the most important thing is their attendance at the match. We will do our best to make them happy.”