Al Duhail coach Christophe Galtier spoke to the media ahead of their 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League Week 21 match against Umm Salal.

“The match is very important, even if the tournament is about to end and there are only two rounds remaining. We have won two league games in a row for the first time since I arrived and a third win is crucial.

“The team's confidence was strengthened after our victory over Al Sadd and in the last match, and it is clear that we must correct some mistakes, especially on the defensive side. The Umm Salal team is strong and achieved important victories, including a victory over us in the first leg, in addition to a victory over Al Gharafa.

“I hope that we will be focused and enthusiastic and play well and cohesively in order to attack and score goals. We have to avoid counterattacks, as our competitor is very good in this aspect and offensive transitions, so we have to be careful to maintain the right balance between our offensive line and our defensive line. There are still some important players who will miss this match, including Korean Kim, Yousef Ayman, who was injured in the last match, and Ismail Mohammed,” said Galtier.

Al Duhail player Karim Boudiaf said, “The match against Umm Salal is important. The league championship has reached its final stages and an important match against Umm Salal awaits us, and we will enter it to achieve victory and score more points. We know exactly the motives of Umm Salal, who will enter the field also looking for a positive result. Therefore, the motives of both teams are many in this game.

“We succeeded in achieving victory in the last two matches against Al Sadd and Muaither, which will give us the motivation to continue performing seriously and achieve the results we want, especially since these matches represent preparation for us before the start of Amir Cup, in which we will work hard to win the title to compensate for our loss in the league.”