Al Gharafa coach Slavisa Jokanovic spoke to the media ahead of their 2020-21 season QNB Stars League Week 10 match against Al Wakrah.

“The team’s next match against Al Wakrah will be against a side that likes to retain ball possession and control the game. Their style of play is the same as that of ours. My team will fight for points, which is the same for Al Wakrah, I am sure. The match will be exciting and will attract fans of both teams. Regarding our last match against Al Sadd, I would say that we made a great effort and wanted a positive result, but we were not able to do so. Our result could not satisfy us because we got no points.

“But for this match, we have to focus as we face Al Wakrah. We will aim at a fighting performance against Al Wakrah. When you are a football player, you always have to be motivated in order not to walk in the wrong direction. I am satisfied with the character that the team offered in its previous confrontation against Al Sadd and the desire shown by the players in order to achieve a positive result.

“We must continue to work to make the team provide better results in the future. There is room for development. We can become better and this is at the core policy of our work as it is our duty to make the team improve continuously. Now is not the time to stop and give up hope, especially since many matches await us in the coming period. I hope to use the available time and find time to enjoy this competition,” said Jokanovic.

Al Gharafa’s Under-23 player Mostafa Esam said, “The next match is important for us and our goal is to win. We have to appear in the best way to satisfy our fans and management. We have to apply the coach’s instructions from what we learned during practice sessions.

“The reason I was absent in the last round is because the coach did not want to field me then. Every coach always plays the well-prepared players. Al Gharafa have a large pool of experienced players. As young players, we are required to be on top of readiness so that we present what is required when we get to play the matches.

“I thank the fans for supporting us in our recent matches. Our fans have continued to support us in a positive way and we have seen their enthusiasm and support even in the Al Sadd match that we lost. We hope to see them back in our next match against Al Wakrah.”