Al Rayyan coach, Younes Ali, emphasized the significance of the upcoming match against Iran’s Persepolis in the fifth round of the AFC Champions League Elite. During the pre-match press conference, he stated, “It will be a tough match against Persepolis. They are a strong team that consistently delivers impressive performances. They have talented players who regularly participate in the AFC Champions League Elite and represent the Iranian national team. Regardless of their results in the tournament, we saw how well they played against Al Gharafa.”
He added, “We are very happy with our victory over Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor in the previous round of the AFC Champions League Elite, and we aim to build on this momentum in this match and secure our second consecutive win.”
Ali noted that he had thoroughly studied the opposing team, which possesses significant attacking capabilities. He said, “We must close down spaces and capitalize on the opportunities that come our way in order to achieve victory.”
Regarding the impact of Al Rayyan’s loss to Al Shamal in the domestic league, he commented, “These are two different competitions. After the match against Al Nassr, the team delivered impressive performances, but luck was not on our side. In the recent match against Al Shamal, we didn’t perform as well as we should have, and I take responsibility for the loss. I ask the players to forget about the Al Shamal match and focus on the match against Persepolis.