Match Kick-off will be at 17:30 on Sunday the 18th of October at Gharafa stadium.

Al Gharafa Head Coach Pericles Chamusca
This game will very difficult for us. We will be playing for six points, It's important for us to do well in this match. Jaish are playing for the title. They are a strong team and a win in this match will be a good step forward for us if we want to go up the standings. We will do our best in order to take these three points. 
 
(On Dioko's absence) We have tried our maximum to recover our injured players. But they have had only a short period to recuperate. Today we will decide if those players can participate or not. We still have one training session remaining. If Dioko's not 100 per cent then we won't play him. From yesterday's session I have seen, I think that he can play this game.
 
(On Gharafa's being defensive) As long as Gharafa can get the same results and win without conceding a goal, I am happy. I have no problem if that's how all our matches are. From the Prozone statistics we receive every week, Gharafa is one of the best teams when it comes to attempts on goal. We have a high 89 per cent for passes completed. We are on the same level as Lekhwiya in that department. But I will accept that I haven't reached the level that I want from my team but we are working towards it. 
 
(On Gharafa getting easy games so far) I don't agree with you. We played our first game against Mesaimeer. They are coming from the second division. But the other three games were against strong teams and we did well against them. Jaish will be another one of the strong teams that we will play. 
 


El Jaish Head Coach Sabri Lamouchi
During the break we tried to prepare well, not just for this game but for the games ahead too. The Gharafa game will be a good test for us. Our international players are back and we are now ready for this game. 
 
It will be a good test because Gharafa is a strong team who have made a good start this season. They have good quality in players which makes them a strong unit collectively. There's a big difference between the Gharafa of last season and this time around. 
 
Jaish have no absences. But the possibility of certain Gharafa players being absent doesn't change anything for us. It's not like we will get three more points because of those absent players.We are playing Gharafa, not a specific player. And we want to get these three points. That's our focus.
 
After the first four games we have eight points. We haven't lost a game. Our target for the next four games is to take more than eight points and we need to start by taking three points tomorrow. We are ready to play tomorrow against Gharafa - not against Dioko or any specific player. 
 
The break helped me give rest to some players. I am trying to recover some injured players. But the players that weren't with us during this break - they are a worry. When you go to the national team, you don't work daily like you do with the club. So we have to resolve all of this in two days and we have to be ready tomorrow to play this strong team.
 
I am satisfied with the eight points. The positive thing is that we haven't lost any game. We have faltered in a couple of games but it's important for us to have confidence. When someone says that Jaish must play for the title, you have to be realistic. There are other teams like Lekhwiya, Sadd and others competing for the title. We are now in our fifth season. We are currently focussed on playing our next four games. And then we will evaluate our work. But we cannot say whether we are better than Lekhwiya or Sadd. We have to work harder if we want to keep our rhythm and if we want to reach that high level. It's not too negative to be behind these clubs because I know what we have to do to get to that level of these clubs.