Doha: Al Gharafa coach Pedro Martins ana Al Ahli coach Igor Biscan spoke to the media ahead of their 2024-2025 season Ooredoo Stars League Week 2 match. Martins said: "After the Asian victory over Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, I can say that you win this type of match, everyone is happy and everyone enjoys the victory. It was an important victory for us because we will be play in the best competition in Asia, so the group is in good condition. The players are ready for the match against Al Ahli and they are really in good condition, as the level of confidence has increased and this is good for us." "We have three absences due to injury. Fabricio has been injured since the last match and is not ready for this match, and Al Janahi and Muntari will also be absent," he added. "Sometimes we face difficulty against teams that gather at the back and perhaps we are not mentally prepared for this type of match compared to other matches and if we want to be champions, we must fight for that we need to be consistent throughou t the season," said Martins. For hos part, Biscan said: "I hope we will be fully focused on the field in the match, especially since competitors Al Gharafa are one of the best teams in terms of performance and players, and have qualified for the AFC Champions League Elite by defeating Shabab Al Ahli of the UAE, who are a strong team, that receives all appreciation, so it is necessary to focus against them in order to achieve the desired result." "I look forward to Al Ahli continuing their good performance because it is the path to victories and the team presented a distinguished level against Al Wakrah, one of the strongest teams in the league. It was a distinguished display, but it did not achieve victory and ended in a draw," he added. "We played a good match in the last round and hope to have superiority over Al Gharafa. I realize that the match will not be easy and all league teams are strong and competitive on the field, but I trust in the capabilities of my players and the work done by all players," s aid Biscan. Source: Qatar News Agency