Al Rayyan coach Laurent Blanc spoke to the media ahead of their 2020-21 season QNB Stars League Week 18 match against Al Ahli.

"It will be a difficult match that brings us together with Al Ahli. We will play to win and I think that this match is like all matches. Our goal is to win it. We have studied Al Ahli club well and we want to confirm what we want to repeat what we did against Al Kharaitiyat when we played well and retained ball possession. This is important. I hope the players understand that. The result of the last game is an incentive for the players.

"Al Rayyan can win against Al Ahli and they can also win. I think that we can control the match as we did with Al Kharaitiyat. As I said to all the players and to the administrative staff, all the matches we play, whether they are against Al Sadd, Al Duhail or any of the championship team, we have to win it so we always play to win.

"I always tell the players that the opponent must be respected, whether the teams at the top of the rankings table or the last of the rankings table. We are willing to respect the opponent as well. The team is ready, especially from a mental point of view,” said Blanc.

Al Rayyan player Mowafak Awad said, "We have developed well and are competing for the top four. The match will not be easy. We hope that we will be fully focused. The coach gave us the necessary instructions for this match to win over Al Ahli.

"There are 5 matches remaining and we play each match separately. We try to win all the matches and we go step by step to ensure our presence in the top four. The difficulty of the match is obvious but I would say the coach had prepared the team well for this match."