Argentine Hernan Crespo, coach of Al Duhail team, confirmed his team’s readiness for tomorrow’s match against Al Kharaitiyat hosted by Thani Bin Jassim Stadium in the final price competitions of the fifty-first edition of the Amir Football Cup 2023.
And the 47-year-old coach added in a statement today during the pre-match press conference:" The cup championship is different from the rest of the competitions, and the team made a great effort in the previous matches, whether in the AFC Champions League or in the league".
And the former Brazilian coach of Sao Paulo continued:" We know that we will face an active team in the second division, but football bears great difficulties and we respect the opposing team, and I know that we in Al Duhail have a strong team, but this does not mean that the match against Al Kharaitiyat will be easy, there are some difficulties with a number of players due to injuries, but we will maintain Team identity and we will work to qualify for the next round".
Crespo concluded:" All our focus is on preparing the team and recovering well, and we want to be in the required readiness. Perhaps tomorrow’s match will witness the return of Portuguese Robin Semedo after recovering from injury.".
In turn, Shehab Al-Laithi, the goalkeeper of Al-Duhail team, said that his team is looking for tomorrow’s confrontation to score a victory and continue its progress in the championship rounds.
added:"The team is technically and physically ready, and we focused on recovery in the recent period and we want to qualify for the next round".
At the end of his remarks, Al-Laithi said:" We turned the page on Al-Hilal and tried to overcome what happened in the AFC Champions League, and we are currently thinking about local tournaments. I previously played in Al-Kharaitiyat for two seasons, and it is a good team.".
For his part, the Syrian Yasser Al-Sebaei, the coach of Al-Kharaitiyat team, expressed his great confidence in his team’s ability to surprise tomorrow and eliminate Al-Duhail early from the competition.. indicating that he feels optimistic about achieving the required result despite the circumstances that his losing team is going through due to the efforts of a number of his players due to injury.
The 50-year-old added:" We hoped to face Al Duhail in better conditions, after we were exposed to difficult conditions during our previous match in the league and four professional players were injured.".
He continued:"Surprises are possible in cup matches, and we hope to achieve that, and I have great confidence in the players. As for us, we always play with the ambition of winning. There is no doubt that the differences between the two teams are great, and we know the capabilities of the opposing team that reached the semi-finals of the Champions League and leads the league.".
Sibai concluded:"We are looking forward to the honorable appearance in the face of tomorrow, despite the absence of 7 players, including 4 professional players, and we prepared the team to appear in a satisfactory manner.".
In turn, Mohammed Salam, defender of Al-Kharaitiyat team, said that participating in this tournament represents a great honor for any player, stressing that his team will try to present the required offer in the Al-Duhail match tomorrow (Monday).
added:" We do not suffer from pressure and seek to appear in a satisfactory image that befits the club’s reputation".
Al-Duhail will enter the match as the defending champion and crowned the cup on four occasions, in addition to its current lead in the league standings with 35 points, four points away from its closest pursuers, with a postponed match.
On the other hand, Al-Kharaitiyat occupies fourth place in the Second Division, with 13 points.
