Lucca Brito of Al Rayyan (in red)
Al Rayyan are targeting a strong start to second half of the season as the QNB Stars League (QSL) resumes today after a two-month break.
The ‘Red Knights’ will take on Al Arabi in their Round 16 match at Al Sadd Stadium today, hoping to earn maximum points to keep their chances of a top three finish intact.
Al Rayyan are fourth in the points standings with 27 points, behind Al Sadd (38 points) and Al Duhail (36 points).
The former champions will be without captain Rodrigo Tabata, suspended for the match, and injured striker Sebastian Soria.
Coach Bulent Uygun hoped the team will do well without the key players.
“We are ready for the match,” Uygun said at a press conference yesterday, urging his ranks to play dominating football.
“If we want to achieve a result that satisfies the fans of Al Rayyan, we must sustain the momentum,” he said.
“We’ve brought in new professional player (Gelmin Javier) Rivas. He’s a good player and he’ll be a good addition to the team in the league and Asian competition that awaits our team,” said Uygun. The Turkish coach added he was confident of a good performance against Al Arabi.
“We know that Al Arabi have made some changes, but that doesn’t matter to us. I’ve confidence that my players will do well. I’m a coach and I work hard to get into the game with all the strength we’ve.”
“We know how to face Al Arabi and we know about the changes that have taken place in their ranks. We’ll miss some players, but we know Al Rayyan and his ability to provide strong matches. We’ve a good group of players and we’ll perform well,” said Bulent.
Al Arabi are sixth with 21 points, with coach Heimir Hallgrimsson hoping the hard work during the break will yield positive results for his side.
“We worked very hard over the past period and there’ve been some changes to the team through contracts and deals, and the preparation wasn’t just for Al Rayyan, but for the rest of the season in general,” said Hallgrimsson.
“We want to stabilise until we achieve the goal we’re working on. I studied the team during the last stage of the current league. The results and figures don’t match. The team suffers from wrong results. There’re many areas for improvement. We’re trying to rectify them,” he said.
“The match against Al Rayyan is important. It’s true that we’ve reinforced the side, but we’ve a good group of young players that we should care about, and with new players we need patience and time,” said Hallgrimsson,” the coach added.
Al Gharafa will host Umm Salal in today’s other match, eyeing victory to keep their pursuit for a top four finish. Al Gharafa are seventh with 18 points, whereas Umm Salal are breathing down their neck with one point less.
