Al Duhail coach Christophe Galtier spoke to the media ahead of their 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League match against Muaither, postponed from Week 13.

“The Muaither match comes after the disappointment and loss we suffered in the Qatar-UAE Super Shield match, but we have to quickly gather our breath and forget that loss, even though the lack of time does not leave us room to inject vitality and activity again into the team. We will enter the match suffering from a number of absences, as Kim Moon and Ishaq Al Hajj continue to be absent, in addition to our player Ismail Mohammed, who suffered a head injury in our last match in Dubai.

“Although we are not playing to win the league title, we must respect all teams, especially since there is a struggle at the bottom of the standings to escape relegation. Therefore, we must play the match with all our seriousness and determination to achieve a positive result, not only in this match but in all the remaining matches we have, because they are part of the preparation for the Amir Cup, in which strong matches await us.

“We must be fully prepared, have the energy and strength, and appear at the same level as we did in our last match against Al Sadd,” said Galtier.

Al Duhail player Suhaib Gannan said, “It will not be easy because we will face a team that is playing to escape from the bottom of the standings and secure their presence in the next edition of the league, which will make them throw all their weight into the match in order to come out with a positive result, which will increase the difficulty of the match for us. But all my colleagues are determined to achieve victory.

“Everyone works hard during training and in matches in order to achieve the desired results, but our side were successful in a number of matches despite the level we are presenting, and in our last match against Al Sadd, we succeeded in providing a good performance and achieved the desired result. Certainly, we will continue to achieve positive results whether in the rest of our matches in the league or during our participation in the Amir Cup.”