Umm Salal take on Muaither on Thursday evening, looking for a repeat  of their stunning 3-1 win over Lekhwiya last time out. Orange Fortress boss Mahmoud Jaber spoke to the local media ahead of the tie at Qatar SC stadium. 

Opening up the press conference the Egyptian coach remarked that Umm Salal’s game will be a real challenge. “ The match tomorrow will be difficult as Muaither are fighting for survival in the league and the pressure is on us to match the performance that we had against Lekhwiya. We have to be at full concentration for this game.” 

“We are six points away from relegation, and we are still in danger of getting pulled into the battle. Our aim is to win this game in order to pull away from this area and be sure to enjoy the final games of the season” explained the Umm Salal head coach. 

Jaber ended his press conference hailing his side; “We have progressed in the last four games in my opinion. When we beat Lekhwiya people started to notice how well we have done, but I know personally my side have played well. Muaither are a dangerous side, they have played well against teams around them in the league. They are scoring in most of their games so we have to be careful when we play them on Thursday evening.”

Things are not looking good for Muaither, who are currently in thirteenth place in the QSL standings. French coach Philipe Birol gave his thoughts on the game to the press ahead of the tie. 

Opening up the press conference Birol was quick to praise his Thursday evening opponents. “Umm Salal did a good job in defeating Lekhwiya, which was a big surprise. They have key players in attack. such as Yannick Sagbo. Umm Salal defend well and are very compact across the pitch and that is what we have been concentrating on this week in training.”

“After three minutes the game against Al Rayyan was done because we conceded two goals. I am looking now for a reaction from my players when we take on Umm Salal” added the French coach.

Birol ended his press conference talking up a returning defender. “This match will see the return of Bruno Aguiar from suspension, this is good news for my side. Bruno is our professional, he is strong technically and in the air and we will be relying on him to improve the side against Umm Salal.”