Al Markhiya coach Madjid Bougherra spoke to the media ahead of their 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League Week 19 match against Al Sadd.

“We play all the matches to earn points and advance in the league, and we know that Al Sadd are a different team and are playing to win the league. All matches at the end of the season are difficult.

“As you know, after our match against Qatar SC, we had an international break coinciding with the holy month of Ramadan, and our next match against Al Sadd is also during the month of Ramadan, which requires a special programme, so we need to pay attention to recovery and physical fitness.

“We still have five matches, and we are at the bottom of the league, and we have lost some opportunities to move up.

“We must double our efforts, as we did in some previous matches, in order to continue working to achieve victories,” said Bougherra.

Al Markhiya player Mohammed Al Abbasi said, “The Al Sadd match is important for the players, as the team is still fighting to stay in the league. I consider all matches as final matches and our team has ability to overcome the circumstances it is going through and achieve victory in the next rounds.

“Al Sadd are a big team that needs no introduction. Our ambition as players is to surpass Al Sadd and achieve three important points that will give the team a morale boost for the final rounds, which represent 15 points that can push the team to a better position in the table.”