Diego Aguirre (centre) at a pre-match press conference.
After back-to-back draws, Al Rayyan are eager to record their first victory of the QNB Stars League (QSL) season as they meet giants Al Duhail in today’s crunch game at Al Janoub Stadium.
Al Rayyan, one of the main title contenders, were locked in a 2-2 draw with Umm Salal before being held goalless by Al Gharafa, in their first two round matches, and coach Diego Aguirre is eyeing full points in today’s match, which will kick off at 7:05pm.
“Our team dropped some points, but we’ve a chance to make up for it even though we’re facing tough competitors,” Aguirre told a pre-match press conference.
“I’m confident in the abilities of our players and my team can perform well and collect points. We’re going to play a very strong game against a very strong team. I feel happy about the work done in the last two weeks. I expect the game to be exciting and beautiful as well,” he added.
But things are not expected to be smooth for Al Rayyan as Al Duhail, who comparatively got off to a better start with a win and a draw in their first two matches, will also go all out for a victory.
“This match against one of Qatar’s big clubs, Al Rayyan, will be very difficult. They’ve made some special recruitment this season,” said Al Duhail coach Rui Faria. “I think we’ll be facing an organised team. We’re also a strong and big team, we’re always looking for victory. We’ve analysed the opponents, so that we’ve the right strategy that’ll enable us to win. That’s our target for this match,” he added.
He stressed that his players must avail chances in the important clash. “If we put pressure on the players, it won’t always help. We want to score in all games and deal well with many opportunities that we create,” he said.
“We play all games with full seriousness, this match will be no exception. Our draw with Al Arabi in the last round won’t have any impact on the performance of players, although we deserved to win that game. Now, our desire is to achieve victory,” said Faria.
Al Duhail are keen to regain their lost glory, having finished as runners-up behind Al Sadd in last season’s QNB Stars League.
On the other hand, Al Rayyan will be eager to be back among titles. The Lions could finish only fourth last season, behind Al Sailiya.
