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

Week 21 matches have been scheduled for 6th April, but this game was rescheduled in view of Al Gharafa’s play-off with Uzbekistan’s FC AGMK in Doha on 7th April, 2021, for a berth in the 2021 AFC Champions League group stage.

“Al Wakrah, under their Spanish coach (Marquez Lopez) always prefer to control the match, possession of the ball, and they often play with three defenders. But they had changed their style in their previous match, perhaps because they faced strong Al Sadd.

“They have a clear idea of ​​the way they want to play and from the previous two games they got four points. Now, they are playing with more confidence and great desire, therefore this team could pose a great danger to us.

“Meanwhile, our team is going through a difficult period in terms of results and performance. We did not provide the required level in the previous match (which we lost 1-3 to Al Ahli). We did not show the required desire and did not make the effort that would have allowed us to gain points.

“We made many mistakes and now we are required to perform in a different way. I am confident that our team is able to perform better. We must make greater efforts in the next match in order to return to the winning path,” said Jokanovic.

Al Gharafa player Ahmed Alaaeldin said, “The match is an opportunity to correct our path. We need to win in order to return to the top four and satisfy our fans.

“Al Wakrah are an organised team that cares about possession of the ball. They have young and talented players as well as an outstanding striker in Mohamed Benyettou. Their defence is also strong and we will do our best to exploit their weaknesses in order to win.

“Our chances of reaching the top four still exist and we must play the next three matches as if they are finals in order to achieve our goal.”