Al Gharafa coach Pedro Martins spoke to the media ahead of their 2024-2025 season Ooredoo Stars League Week 1 match against Al Khor.

“We spent about five weeks for strong preparation, which is normal during this stage of the season. The focus was on the physical aspect and most of the players are in good condition, not all of them, of course, as some of them joined us late. In addition, we have some problems due to injuries to some players such as Al Janahi and Muntari, but the main pillars of the team have been present since last season. But we have young players and we can say that we have nearly 95 per cent of the players in good condition.

“I am really happy with the current group. In my opinion, I believe that there are 6 clubs that will compete strongly for the title, which are Al Gharafa, Al Duhail, Al Sadd, Al Wakrah, Al Arabi and Al Rayyan, and these clubs have all the ingredients to compete for the title. We, as technical staff, and players have ambitions that we seek to achieve for the club, so we are here to fight and the competition will be difficult, and we are ready for the kick-off against Al Khor.

“For me, every match is important and Al Khor team is good and has a coach with great experience and they have very good players with great experience such as Yohan Boli, our player last season, Ruben Semedo and Sofiane Hanni who played for Al Gharafa before and we know his capabilities. We have to be very serious because it is important to start with a good image and most importantly win the three points,” said Martins.

Al Gharafa player Joselu said, “I feel that I am in good condition and I have become more familiar with my fellow players and I played a friendly match with them and trained with them for 10 days and everything is going on well. For me, it is a great experience for me and my family in this beautiful country and I really feel comfortable and everything is going in the right direction.

“I had spoken with friends who have played and are playing in the Qatar league, including (Marc) Muniesa, whom I have spoken to several times, and also Rodrigo Moreno, who played with me in the national team. I know Raul, the former Real Madrid player, who told me that his experience in Qatar was one of the best, and everyone told me good things about Qatar and Qatar league.

“I have a lot of experience in football and I think it is important for me to take on this new challenge. My first match was in the preparation period and, as you know, the preparation matches are friendly and the focus is on the physical and technical side in order for the new players to get to know the style of play and training. For me, it was important to be with my fellow players in Slovakia because I wanted to get to know them better and come back together to prepare for the first match in the league.

“We need the support of fans on and off the pitch. I am a player who loves to fight for the fans and my fellow players. We will all try to win the first match for the fans who will support the players and this is the most important thing for us.”