Al Duhail First Football Team Head Caoch Djamel Belmadi confirmed the team readiness to face Al Wakra this coming Thursday in Round 13 of the Doha Bank Stars League. He expressed his determination to lead the team to victory and climb higher in the standing table.
Belmadi opened his remarks during the pre-match press conference by saying: “All matches are difficult. Al Wakra is a balanced team that works well, and we remember that was the case in our first-round encounter against them. We must strive to deliver a good performance and achieve a positive result; we have no other option.”
He continued: “Of course, the first leg match versus Al Wakra was full of difficulties, especially with the sending-off of goalkeeper Salah Zakaria. Currently, we have several injuries. Al Wakra has shown significant development in recent years, benefiting from technical stability and boasting many excellent players and a distinguished coaching staff.”
Belmadi added: “Since the start of the season, the team has faced many impactful absences, starting with team captain Al Moez Ali, as well as defender Tuta—a very important loss—followed by goalkeeper Salah Zakaria, Karim Boudiaf, and Marco Verratti. Additionally, Adil Boulbina left to participate in the Arab Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations, and even the new goalkeeper, Arthur, was injured in his first match. All these factors have prevented us from playing with our full squad at any stage of the season. We were certainly affected by these absences, but my role as a coach is to work with the players available. The squad for the next match will see the return of Adil Boulbina, Karim Boudiaf, and Marco Verratti, in addition to Salah Zakaria’s recent return from injury. These are positive signs for delivering a good performance in the coming period.”
Belmadi went on to say: “Despite this, I don’t like to focus too much on these difficulties. I prefer to talk about the great efforts made by the players currently present and the commitment they show despite the tough circumstances. This season has seen a series of unfavorable conditions, but the group continues to work hard.”
He concluded his statements by saying: “Al Duhail, like other teams, is affected by international breaks, especially since nearly half of our squad consists of international players. This is certainly a complex matter for me as a coach and impacts our preparations significantly. Between September and December, there is a league stoppage almost every month. Our performance was definitely affected, unlike teams that only have two or three internationals, where preparations aren’t as disrupted as ours. However, we must deal with these matters and find the right solutions.”
