Al Markhiya coach Madjid Bougherra spoke to the media ahead of their 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League Week 14 match against Muaither.

“This match is important for the team as Muaither are ahead of us by two points, so it is a six-point match, and it will be difficult for both teams. The players are extremely focused as a result of the good preparation that the team made during the break.

“We returned to work after the break. It has been a long time since the last match we played in December and it was good due to the changes we made in the team, and I am very happy with the addition of new players.

“The preparation period was long, which gave us more time to prepare and enhance harmony between the players as quickly as possible. In general, the preparations were good and the break was good for us. We will be fully prepared for the upcoming and decisive games in the league.

“We are of course very happy with the new players and the transfer window. We have done a great job under the guidance of the club president and we thank him for these changes. We have Bashar Resan, who is a high-quality player. He was in the ranks of Qatar SC and we had the opportunity for him to join us, and it is great to have a player of his quality. We also have Ruben Semedo who is also an excellent leader and a good-quality player.

“There is also Ali Jasesmi, who came from Al Rayyan and he is a player with great experience and can help the team. We also have players from Al Duhail and they were with me when I was coach of Al Duhail Under-21 team. They are Abdullah Haroun, Mohammed Al Naimi and Abdulrahman Mohammed. They are talented players and let us not forget Omar Barry. Everyone knows him and we are very happy with his presence as a leader and high-quality player,” said Bougherra.

Goalkeeper Omar Barry, who joined Al Markhiya in the recent winter transfer window, said, “The next match is a new beginning and a new challenge. The preparations were not limited to the next match only, but for all matches. But we must first go step by step and focus now on this game which we think is the most important. Then we wait for the other matches to see the results and how things go. I think it is a good challenge and we have to fight until the end of the season and win all the matches in order to achieve our goals.

“I have been here for a month and a half. The atmosphere here is wonderful, and from the first day I felt at home. I knew many of the players. I was welcomed by everyone. This is a good thing and I look forward to doing my best for the team.”