Umm Salal coach Patrice Carteron spoke to the media ahead of their 2025-2026 season Doha Bank Stars League Week 5 match against Al Sailiya.

“It is like a ‘cup final’. The team has prepared intensively over the past few days to achieve a positive result.

“The match is extremely important for us and all players are ready, with the exception of some injured players. Mance is close to returning in a strong way very soon.

“The team is performing well, but it is important that we remain fully focused throughout the match and avoid making mistakes that could cost us dearly. I am happy with the offensive line that is scoring goals, but the most important thing is to maintain our defensive balance and not give the opponents any opportunity to score. We must maintain our focus and be organized so that we do not concede goals,” said Carteron.

Umm Salal player Jean Kouassi said, “The team approaches every match as a ‘final’. We consider every match crucial and we play against Al Sailiya only to win.

“We realize how difficult the match will be, but it is a great motivation for us to do our best and achieve victory.”