Leonardo Jardim, Al Rayyan’s coach, confirmed that Al Rayyan is ready to face Al Gharafa in the Qatar Cup semi-final. He said during the press conference held on the sidelines of this match: “Al Rayyan’s goals are the same as the goals of other teams, which are to win the match and win the Qatar Cup. As for this match, it is a continuation of a match between two big teams that fought hard for second place in the league championship. It will be an enjoyable match in the Qatar Cup semi-final, and we respect Al Gharafa team very much, but our goal is to reach the final.”
He added: “Everyone must know that playing for Al Rayyan in itself gives the person great morale, and we succeeded in winning against Al Sadd team that won the league title, but each match has its own special character, and the team’s ambition does not change, which is always to win and reach the final.”
Regarding the team’s development in the recent period, he pointed out that cup matches are different from league matches. He said: “In the recent period, there has also been a great development for the team. We have succeeded in winning a group of matches, especially against Al Sadd team that won the league title, so the team is ready for this strong confrontation.”
He continued: “I hope the fans will attend and support the team during the Al Gharafa match in the Qatar Cup semi-final. We have seen a large number of fans this season, especially in the Al Arabi match, so I hope they will attend strongly in this match because the team needs them, and we will try to make them happy by winning the match.”
Jardim revealed that the team is fully ready, except for some players returning from injury, such as Abdulaziz Hatem.