Al Rayyan coach Diego Aguirre spoke to the media ahead of their 2019-20 QNB Stars League Week 18 match against Qatar SC.

“Our focus is on the game against Qatar SC. We have other confrontations, but if we lose against Qatar SC, we will lose the opportunity to compete for the title, so everyone is ready to provide a big match and I trust all my players.

“We must be focused and give off our best. We have trained well during the break. This moment is not for talking about the past. We must concentrate on the upcoming matches and the first is against Qatar SC.

“On winning the title… Why not? But the current time is not good to talk about this matter. We must know that Al Duhail are strong competitors and we are required to win all points in the five games and after that I can answer about the chances of Al Rayyan.

“(Rodrigo) Tabata is one of the best players, but he chose not to continue with us. I respect his decision and wish him success. Hamed Ismail, I know him because I trained him for several years. He is a good player and he has great experience, especially with the Qatar national team, and it is certain that he will be a good addition to Al Rayyan,” said Aguirre.

Al Rayyan player Yohan Boli said, “We played three friendly matches, including the one against Qatar SC, in preparation for the resumption of league. They were good tests in which we presented good levels and I hope we will regain our level and achieve victory in the important game against Qatar SC.

“The past period was not good for everyone due to the spread of coronavirus. We did not know when we would return, but now the situation has become clear and we have to give everything we have to our team.

“There is definitely an impact on the players because of the break and we have tried to reach our best level through training and friendly games. The last five matches for Al Rayyan are like five finals. There’s only one option, which is victory, in order to compete for the title. The fans will not be in the stadium, but we will play for them and we hope to see them soon.”