Umm Salal coach Patrice Beaumelle spoke to the media ahead of their 2024-2025 season Ooredoo Stars League Week 20 match against Al Wakrah.

“The match will be difficult, intense and even fateful as we are in dire need of three points to avoid a difficult outcome.

“Al Wakrah will also enter the match with a desire to win, which will make the encounter even more difficult for both teams. Our players are performing, working hard and exerting great effort, but that luck has not been on their side in many previous matches, which has affected the results.

“Winning the match against Al Wakrah is essential. Everyone, including the management, players and technical and administrative staff, is well aware of the seriousness of the current situation.

“I fear that the decline in results will lead to frustration among the players, which could increase anxiety within the team. Therefore, we must be confident and enter the match strongly to achieve victory,” said Beaumelle.

Umm Salal player Khalifa Saad said, “The match against Al Wakrah in the 20th round will be extremely important for the team. The pressure is great after the recent loss to Al Khor, which makes correcting mistakes imperative to achieve a positive result.

“We must learn from our previous mistakes and work on correcting them, because defeating Al Wakrah is essential for us. The three points mean a lot to us, so we must remain calm, avoid pressure and regain confidence to return to winning ways.”