Qatar Stars League (QSL) points leaders Al Rayyan will miss the services of three players in their clash against Al Kharaitiyat but coach Jorge Fossati is not losing sleep over the matter.
 
Al Rayyan, who are leading the points table with a tally of 39 from 14 games, take on Al Kharaitiyat on Saturday at Al Gharafa Stadium.
 
"Musa Haroon, Victor Caeres and Sebastian Soria will not be there but we didn't work with 11 players," Fossati thundered in a pre-match press conference on Thursday.
 
"I told many times that we trust in our group of players, not just the playing 11. In the last games we have been able to get the victories despite the injured players. I don't want to talk about the missing players," Fossati added.
 
"I am 100 per cent confident in the players who will play. They have all the quality to help the team and make a very good job," he said.
 
Fossati said his players will have to double up their efforts in what is the second phase of the league.
 
"About the second round, it will be very difficult to have the same situation which we had in the first round. To maintain this difference of points which we have now will be tough," Fossati said.
 
"We won 99 per cent of our games and other clubs  - Lekhwiya, Jaish, Al Sadd - dropped many points which is not like them. All we can do it to take it game by game. We will play Saturday and look for the win.
And after that we will try to use the break to recover and prepare for the rest of the season," he said.
 
"It's a new game, old mentality. For us nothing changed. We will continue with the training. We respect our opponent but we also have lot of respect for our opponents.
 
"Al Kharaitiyat have had a good season until now. They have been difficult opponents for everybody, except Lekhwiya. But that was an extraordinary result for Lekhiwya.
 
"When we played early this season, they were winning the game but we turned things around in the last 15 minutes. But we will go into this match, thinking about the victory because I have the confidence in my players," he said.


 
Al Kharaitiyat coach Amar Osim knows his team is playing a 'tough side'.
 
"We slowed down the pace of training after the last game against Qatar SC. But last week we trained normally. And now we have to play this game which is not going to be easy," Osim said on Thursday.
 
"And the fact that we are playing the best team in the league makes the preparation easy. It wouldn't have been easy to motivate players for just one game. But we know who we are up against and the players are geared up too. They did their best in training and I hope they will do the same in the game too," Osim said.
 
"If we have to get a result against Al Rayyan,we will have to perform very well. It will be difficult to get anything against Al Rayyan if you don't give it your all. So in this game we will not have any other choice," he said.
 
"The fact that we play Al Rayyan has helped us prepare for the game.
We haven't had to motivate the players. 17 points is not a lot but it is a lot better than 10 or 9.
 
"We are in a better situation now and I hope that they players will be able to play this game without pressure. And if we combine a good performance from us with maybe a little dip in form from Al Rayyan, then we could get a positive result.
 
"There have been many surprising results this season so why not believe that we can get one result against Al Rayyan too," Osim said.
 
The game on Saturday starts at 18:45pm at Al Gharafa stadium.