Younes Ali, Al Rayyan’s coach, emphasized the importance and difficulty of the upcoming match against Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan in the fourth round of the AFC Champions League Elite. During the press conference held on the sidelines of the match, he stated: “We are aware of the significance and challenge of this match for both teams. Both teams are seeking a victory, especially after the previous rounds’ results that were not favorable for either side. Therefore, we aim to win and return to the competition. We have prepared well for this important match, and the team has been improving significantly lately.”
He added: “It was challenging to start the tournament with poor results, but we know that we played against Saudi teams, which are considered strong teams in the competition and had prepared well for this tournament. We played well against Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli but were unlucky to achieve positive results. We must continue working to win this match.”
Ali also mentioned watching Pakhtakor before the match and recognizing their talented players. He affirmed that Uzbek teams are always strong on their home turf, stating that the match will be tough for both teams.