Vicente Moreno, the manager of Al-Rayyan, confirmed the team’s readiness to face Jordan’s Al-Faisaly in their opener for the AFC Champions League Two. Speaking at the pre-match press conference, he stated: “We are eagerly looking forward to playing tomorrow against Al-Faisaly in the AFC Champions League Two. We know we are facing a good team and a very tough match, but we are playing at home and want to emphasize securing a win in our first fixture.”
He added: “Previous results give us immense confidence heading into tomorrow’s game. That is very important for us, but our focus at this moment is solely on tomorrow’s match. The previous games are in the past, and right now, we know we must think only about tomorrow.”
Regarding the difference in level between the domestic league and the AFC Champions League Two, he commented: “It is a different competition. We are ready to play in the league, ready to play in the Qatar Cup, and ready to play against Al-Faisaly in the Champions League. However, it is true that sometimes I don’t know the exact level of the opponent because they play in a different league. We enter tomorrow’s match without knowing their exact level, which makes it challenging for us. But I repeat, we are ready, we respect the opponent greatly, and I have tremendous confidence in my players. I told them that if we want to win tomorrow, we must be at our absolute best.”
Touching on the team’s overall form, Moreno noted that they have conceded only two goals in the league, saying: “We have a very solid defense, but we also have a very strong attack because we are Al-Rayyan, and Al-Rayyan possesses top-quality players. However, we always aim to improve. If possible, we don’t want to concede any goals, though that is very difficult. We want to refine our play and score more, as we created many chances in our recent league matches and need to be sharper in those situations. As for injuries, yes, Mitrović is currently sidelined. He began training with us last week, but only participating in limited drills. He needs more time to train and improve, and I expect he might be ready to play after the international break. We also have a few players dealing with minor issues, and we will decide on their availability tomorrow, which is a standard situation for any team.”