Al Arabi coach Heimir Hallgrimsson spoke to the media ahead of their 2019-20 QNB Stars League match against Al Sadd, deferred from Week 5.

“It will be difficult for both teams, especially since Al Sadd are coming from a defeat in their last match against Al Wakrah and are looking to make amends. We must be on top of our readiness.

“Al Sadd are always a strong team despite their recent decline. They are defending the title. They have a desire to return to the winning path. They have players who are able to compensate. They have very high capabilities, so we must be ready with our full strength.
“After our victory against Al Ahli in the last round, I focused on our players’ recovery, to prepare them to be technically, physically and mentally ready, which is very important.
“We respect all opponents and we want to get three points against the reigning champions. No doubt, I am very happy with the performance of Abdullah Marafih in the last game as he showed a very distinguished level. Hamdi Harbaoui is also coming good. Victory will help us move up in the standings,” said Hallgrimsson.

Al Arabi player Marc Martinez said, “I agree with the coach about the difficulty of the match against Al Sadd, regardless of their setbacks of late. They are still one of the top clubs and are able to make a strong comeback.

“I am happy to be in Qatar. At the moment, we do not think about anything other than facing Al Sadd. We must implement our coach’s instructions on the field in order to make Al Arabi fans happy.”