Al Duhail coach Hernan Crespo speaks during a press conference, yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: The excitement in the new Expo Stars League returns as the reigning champions, Al Duhail, face off Muaither in the second match of the opening match of Week 2 today. The encounter is scheduled to unfold at the iconic Khalifa International Stadium, kickstarting at 6:30 pm.
Muaither face a challenging task against the defending champions, however, the team is striving to compensate for their loss 0-3 against Al Wakrah in the first round.
Al Duhail coach Hernan Crespo said his team will be looking for a second successive win to keep up the winning momentum.
“Everyone classifies Al Duhail as the best, which seems clear on paper, but we know we will face a team that will throw its weight on the field in order to come up with a positive result. On our part, we will strive to achieve our second victory after we appeared well in the first match against Al Ahli,” he said.
“I always talk to the players to urge them to do the best, and in the last round the players appeared well and I see that there is development and progress in performance. If they train well, they will appear well in the matches and there is still room for further development in the coming period.
“Regarding the absence of player Edmilson, I must say that we need to wait till he recovers and I hope he returns quickly,” said Crespo.
Crespo is aware that the club’s fans and supporters are anticipating a strong and reassuring performance against promoted side Muaither. A convincing win will doubtlessly improve the club’s image after a difficult victory in the first round over Al Ahli, where they managed to secure a 2-1 victory.
Crespo is relying on the exceptional performance of his striker and top scorer in the league last season, Kenyan Michael Olunga, who scored the season’s opening goal for the club against Al Ahli.
Additionally, the brilliant Almoez Ali and new French professional Ibrahima Diallo, who made a strong impression during his first appearance following his excellent performance in the midfield, are expected to contribute to the team’s success.
Meanwhile, Muaither coach Jose Murcia aims to restore the team’s glory from last season, where they won the Second Division and qualified for the quarter-finals of Amir Cup at the expense of Al Ahli.
“We respect Al Duhail as they are a great team with distinguished players. They are the champions of last edition of the league championship. We take this into consideration, but we do not fear anyone and we will do everything in our power to achieve victory and snatch the three points. This is the most important thing for us,” he said.
In the other match of the opening day of Week 2, Al Rayyan will take on Qatar SC at 8.30pm at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.
Both teams are eager to secure a victory and earn three points to advance in the league campaign. There is a great sense of optimism within the ranks of Al Rayyan regarding the possibility of overcoming this obstacle and securing the maximum points, following their lone-goal win in the first round against Al Markhiya.
On the other hand, Qatar SC will face a new challenge after their 4-4 draw in the first week against Al Gharafa, in a match that was highly exciting and competitive between the two teams. The result was undecisive until the last seconds, during which Qatar SC succeeded in scoring the fourth equalising goal.
