In the pre-match press conference held this evening at Al Duhail Club, Al Duhail First Football Team player, Ismail Mohamed, emphasized the importance of winning the upcoming match against Al Wakrah in the Doha Bank Stars League on Saturday. He stated that a win is crucial to get back into the title race and to change the team image after their draw versus Al Shahania in the opening match.

Ismail Mohamed began his statement by saying: “Of course, after the stumble versus Al Shahania, we all felt a sense of responsibility. I believe that our strong focus on qualifying for the league stage of the AFC Champions League Elite affected the team preparation and focus at the start of the league. I think the technical and administrative staff worked hard to increase the players’ focus on the league matches after Al Shahania game, and I hope we win the next match versus Al Wakrah.”

He added: “We are definitely at the beginning of the season, and we have seven international players who spent some time away from the team preparation period due to joining the national team camp, which may have slightly disrupted the technical staff’s plans. However, we are professional players and have the experience to handle such situations. I believe we have reached a high level of readiness, perhaps up to 90%. But on the field, readiness might not be enough; you often need a lot of mental focus in addition to the ambition to win. This is the motivation that helps the player be more ready, both psychologically and physically. In matches, whoever excels in these factors has the advantage to win.”

Ismail concluded: “I believe at the beginning of the season, we cannot judge anything, but at the end of the season, we can see the full picture. Al Duhail Club policy and goals are clear: to always win titles. This puts all the players under pressure to achieve titles, which drives us all to take on the responsibility and work to win the league title. We hope to start our comeback with a victory and a good performance against Al Wakrah.