Frenchman Christophe Galtier, coach of Al Duhail, did not hide the difficulty of his team’s mission when it faces Al Rayyan tomorrow, Friday, at Khalifa International Stadium in the summit of the second round of the Qatar Football League / Ooredoo Stars League / for the 2024/2025 season.
Al Duhail coach added in a statement during the press conference preceding the match that his team seeks to maintain the positive state it experienced in the opening round when it defeated Qatar by six goals to one, pointing out that tomorrow’s match is of great importance despite it being the second match in the league championship as it is classified as a football summit.
Galtier pointed out that the confrontations between the two teams are always full of excitement and challenge, and Al Rayyan team presented a distinguished performance last season, in addition to his team seeking to achieve a distinguished season, and it is necessary to show a strong performance in these direct confrontations.
He explained that Al Rayyan maintained the structure of its team from last season, as it did not witness many changes in its formation, especially in the attacking line, which was very effective. The only change was in the coach who knows the league well.
He pointed out that during the preparatory period, his team focused on significantly improving the offensive situation and avoiding the mistakes that had occurred previously, such as losing the ball unjustifiably.
The former coach of Paris Saint-Germain pointed out that after 8 months of his experience in the Qatari league when he took over the task from Argentine coach Hernan Crespo, he has acquired a deeper and more accurate vision of the level of competition and the nature of the matches.
Galtier concluded his statement by saying that in light of the major changes that occurred in the team’s lineup, he became very aware of the capabilities it possesses, stressing the need to play and not be affected by the big victory in the first match.
For his part, the Swedish coach of Al Rayyan, Boya Espagi, considered in a similar statement during the press conference that his team is waiting for a big match against Al Duhail, who made many changes compared to last season, which makes it a candidate for strong competition this season and will fight for titles, especially since it will not participate in the AFC Champions League this year, unlike Al Rayyan, Al Gharafa and Al Sadd, which will participate in the continental competition.
Espagi pointed out that his team has the motivation to achieve victory, stressing that Al Rayyan will give everything it has in the match to achieve that, and he also noted the need to avoid mistakes against Al Duhail and take advantage of the opportunities that arise.
He revealed that Al Rayyan’s goal is always first place, and that he is not looking for second or third place, so the team’s ambition this season is to compete for championships, noting that he is working on developing the team’s performance in order to achieve victories.
It is noteworthy that Al Duhail started its journey in the Ooredoo Stars League by defeating Qatar SC 6-1, to top the standings on goal difference over Al Rayyan, who in turn defeated Umm Salal 3-1.
