Al Rayyan coach Leonardo Jardim confirmed that the match against Muaither will be difficult. He said during the press conference held on the sidelines of this match: “Al Rayyan’s goals this season are clear, which is to reach the AFC Champions League next season. Of course, we have booked our place among the top four in the standings, but this is not the only goal, but more. Therefore, we have to get more points in the remaining matches in the EXPO Stars League to be one of the teams qualified for the AFC Champions League next season.”
He added: “The upcoming match against Muaither is a very important match, and we must win the three points. Therefore, we have to give everything we have in this match in order to achieve victory.”
Jardim hopes that the crowd turnout against Muaither will be higher than what he saw in the last Al Duhail match. He pointed out that the Al Rayyan team works as a single group of 25 players, and that each player who participates must give everything he has. He said that in the last match, AbdulAziz Hatem, Tabata, Thiago Mendes, Tamim Mansour, Rodrigo Moreno and Osama Al-Tayri were absent, and in this match, Ahmed Al-Rawi and Naif Al-Hadrami will be added to their absence. In football, the important thing is who will play the match and who will be on the bench. If the result is not positive, no one will remember the injuries or absences in the team.