Al Gharafa assistant coach Bulent Bolukbasi spoke to the media ahead of their QNB Stars League Week 14 match against Al Sadd.

“We are pleased with our performances in the last two games, where we had 100 per cent win record and we hope to continue that way. There is no room for let-up in a league competition. We must work more and put in greater efforts.

“We have prepared for the Al Sadd match in the best possible way. They are strong from the starting eleven to the bench, so we have a tough task on hand. We are trying out various combinations and you can see some changes in our line-up.

“We will play our natural game and we have our tactics ready and we will implement them. We have a good mix of youth and experience. We are also happy with the way our young players are shaping up,” said Bolukbasi.

Al Gharafa’s new recruit and Dutch star Wesley Sneijder, who also addressed the Press conference, spoke high of the prospects of playing against Al Sadd’s Spanish great Xavi Hernandez.

“Xavi is a legend. I have played against him when he was with Barcelona and the Spanish national team. It is always good to have great players in a team. It will stand the QNB Stars League in good stead.

“After I started playing in Qatar, I regularly get to see news about Qatar football in the Dutch media. It augurs well for this league. The organisation is amazing and the Qatar league’s future is bright. 

“But first things first. We want to be highly competitive on the field and beat Al Sadd. We want to show our best. We have scope for improvement and our young players are doing a great job,” said Sneijder.