Al Rayyan coach Laurent Blanc spoke to the media ahead of their 2020-21 season QNB Stars League Week 16 match against Al Duhail.

“It will be a difficult match. Also, the match is important for both teams and we will enter it like all matches with focus and strength in order to achieve our goal, which is victory. Their team is in good spirits after participating in the recent FIFA Club World Cup, where they finished fifth. Certainly, Al Duhail have very special players, so difficult and complicated work awaits us.

“The break helped some of our injured players recover and we got to prepare well for this match. I hope it will be a good match with high quality and whoever presents the best will win it,” said Blanc.

Al Rayyan player Shojae Khalilzadeh said, “We trained well during the break and we have prepared ourselves for the difficult game against Al Duhail. They are a good side. On the other hand, Al Rayyan are one of the best teams in Qatar. I am very happy to be with Al Rayyan and before coming to Al Rayyan I knew that it was a great team, be it in Qatar or Asia.

“All professional players in the club know the popularity and position of Al Rayyan side. And professional players are doing everything they can for the success of the team and reach the highest ranking in the league. I think the fans are satisfied with what I presented during the last period, but for me personally, I need more time because it is a new team and the atmosphere is different.”