Al Duhail coach Djamel Belmadi spoke to the media ahead of their 2025-2026 season Doha Bank Stars League Week 2 match against Al Wakrah.

“We were able to prepare well this time before facing Al Wakrah, given the gap between the first and the next match, which is a full week away. Unlike the first league match, we only had two or three days to complete preparations. This is certainly important for regaining our strength.

“The match against Al Shahania is a thing of the past. The circumstances are different and the players are different from the league and Champions League matches. Our focus is currently on building and developing the team. There are many changes in our ranks,” said Belmadi.

Al Duhail player Ismail Mohammed said, “Of course, we are at the beginning of the season and we have seven international players who have spent some time away from the team’s preparation period due to joining the national team camp, which may confuse the technical staff’s calculations a bit. However, we are professional players and we have experience in dealing with all situations.

“I believe that we have reached a high level of readiness that may reach 90 per cent but on the field, readiness may not be enough. However, you may need a lot of mental focus in addition to the ambition to win, which is the motivation that helps the players to be more ready at the psychological and physical levels. During matches, whoever excels in these factors have the advantage in winning.”