Kick off 16:00 at Al Wakrah stadium. Saturday November 21.

Al Sailiya Head Coach Sami Trabelsi
“The break was beneficial for us. We tried to correct some problems, recover our injured players and also create cohesion between the players. We are playing a team with a winning mentality. Gharafa are now in a difficult situation but they know how to take points from games and how to finish games. We have the ambition to take the maximum points from the next five games in order to finish the first half of the season in a good way.”

“This is our problem for the last two seasons. We start every season with new players in defence. These players need time to “gel2 and get team harmony working properly. In the two games against Jaish and Rayyan we conceded eight goals. But after that we have conceded one or two goals in games. We haven't conceded goals because of a bad defensive set up or strategy. It was individual mistakes that cost us.”

“I am not satisfied with the performance of my foreign players. We are expecting more from them. When a foreign player comes to Qatar, he needs time to adapt but he can't take too long. We are trying to evaluate and get our foreign players to contribute more, because we really need them to step up now. During the break we tried to work on their fitness. We hope to be better but only the matches ahead will show us. We have good players. We don't have bad players.”
 


Al Gharafa Head Coach Pericles Chamusca
“This game is very important for us. It's not just about the three points at stake but it's also about getting back to winning ways and regaining our confidence.”

“In Brazil every Saturday you have a new contract! I am used to working under pressure. Most important for me and my players, is to give their maximum, play with full concentration. And after that you can be sure that God will give you what you deserve.”

“I have a record of being the youngest coach in the first division in Brazil. I was 27 years then. So I am used to working under pressure for a long time.  We are trying to give maximum opportunity to players. During the break I had many of my players away with the various national teams.”

“From my analysis, Sailiya have scored a lot from crosses. We have prepared ourselves to stop that.  Gharafa 3-4 years ago wasn't part of the top 4. Now we are building a new team with a new identity. 80 per cent of the team is different. So this will take time.”

“As for Dioko, he has started the competition and then he got injured. So he needs time to comeback. Step by step, he is getting back to his level. Chikhaoui started very well but he had some niggles. But he's a good player with lots of talent. In the last game we good understanding between the players and we want to continue that.”