Al Gharafa coach Bulent Uygun spoke to the media ahead of their Qatar Cup semifinal against Al Duhail.

“I would like to congratulate Al Duhail on winning the league title. We finished the league in the fourth position and presented good performances in the AFC Champions League. Had it not been for some refereeing mistakes, we would have qualified for the next round.

“The Qatar Cup is a very important competition and all clubs are looking forward to winning the title. I hope luck will be on our side. We are facing Al Duhail, who had not lost this season in the QNB Stars League.

“I took over the technical responsibility of Al Gharafa in the second phase at a time when we had a tough time by the end of the first half. However, the available players presented their best and our ambition was to reach the top four. The Qatar Cup is crucial for all clubs. We are seeking the title and are counting on our fans to support us.

“We have a number of injured players, some with minor injuries while others have serious injuries such as Almahdi Ali and Thamer Jamal. They may not play this match. We are all focused on the Al Duhail game and are confident of winning. We are not afraid of Al Duhail, but we respect them.

Al Gharafa player Wesley Sneijder said, “We are aware that this match is tough, however we are here now in the semifinal because we emerged as the fourth in the league table which was not an easy task. Al Duhail are one of the best teams in Qatar. I have played against them only once, in the league. They have players of high caliber. At the same time, our squad has improved a lot of late.”