Eyeing improved results this season, Al Gharafa are targeting maximum points as they take on Al Shahania in their first match of 2019-20 QNB Stars League at Al Janoub Stadium today.
Al Gharafa finished in 8th position in the previous season, a disappointing end to their campaign by their standards. However, the seven-time champions are hoping for a reverse in fortunes under former Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic, who took over as Al Gharafa head coach in June following a two-year deal .
Jokanovic said he is not worried about last season’s performance and is looking forward to guiding his side to better results.
“We’ve prepared the team well for QNB Stars League. We had worked to make the team fully ready before the kick-off and produce good results,” Jokanovic said ahead of his team’s first game, expecting full points from his players.
“I wish we win our first game against Al Shahania. I had seen the last match between Al Shahania and Al Gharafa,” he added.
“As for the competition, I’ve played football in many leagues. It’s the ambition of every coach to win and make a good team with a special identity.”
He reposed confidence in his players, saying his team is ready to earn victories in the new season.
“I won’t compare Al Gharafa’s performance last season and this season.” he added.
Meanwhile, Al Shahania coach Jose Murcia termed Al Gharafa tough opponents but said his team is confident of a positive start in the challenging league.
“We want to build on last season’s good results. We’ve worked well in preparation for the season and the first game. Our goal this season is a strong finish, like the one we had last season. We play as a fighting group and that’s one of our strengths,” said Murcia, whose team earned 7th position last season.
“Al Gharafa are a big team and have made several changes. They’re also keen to better their results this season and we respect them. They’ve a good coach, but that doesn’t prevent us from playing to win against them,” he added.
The match will kick off at 5:20pm while today’s second match between Al Sailiya and Al Khor will be played at Al Sadd Stadium from 7:30pm.
Al Sailiya coach Sami Trabelsi, who guided his team to third place finish, said his players are entering the 12-team competition with ‘greater ambitions’.
“We enter the new season with greater ambitions. The start is certainly not going to be easy as all teams are back from the preparatory period,” said Trabelsi hoping the new recruits will bring significant improvement.
“We’ve signed many players, foreign and local, and the team is developing and improving day by day as a collective unit. We want to display the same identity we showed last season with better levels,” he said.
On the other hand, Al Khor coach Omar Najhi praised the team’s overseas training camp atmosphere in the Netherlands and vowed a strong show from his side.
“I thank all the players for their efforts in training, both in Doha and in the Dutch camp. I also thank them for their mental presence, discipline and clear commitment,” said Najhi.
“Everyone is doing his best to achieve our ambition in the new QNB Stars League season. We seek to be in the top positions despite the expected strong competition,” he added.
