DOHA: Eljaish boss Razvan Lucescu aims to forget about his side’s first defeat of the season as soon as possible.
The Romanian coach was left dejected when his side crashed to a 3-2 loss against Al Ahli - costing them their place at the top of the table.
Now Lucescu aims to make amends Al Rayyan today as Manolo Jimenez aims to turn round his own side’s poor season.
He said: “We will have to be at our best to take care of Al
Rayyan. They are in a bad position right now and want out
of it.
“We lost the first game of the season against Al Ahli but this will not deter us from what we are trying to achieve. We will try to not let this affect us. I was very upset we lost that game because we had been playing very well this season, but we made some mistakes and were punished as a result.”
He added:“Now we have a chance to put that right, which is the great thing about football.”
Al Rayyan continue to slowly recover from a horrendous campaign that sees them languish in 12th place. Spanish coach Jimenez insists that’s simply not good enough.
He said: “This match is big for us. Eljaish have a number of outstanding players who have a big future in the game in this country.
“We will play a strong game and give everything we can. Hopefully we get the result we need. I think we will because I am confident of the ability of the players in my side.
“As coaches we are working very hard to bring ourselves out of a very difficult period. I’m sure this will be achieved.
“I am not satisfied with where we are in the league and I will give 200 per cent to make sure we come out of this situation.
“Yes, we have some injuries but these things are natural and happen all the time in football. We cannot use this is as an excuse. There is nothing we can do other than stay positive and try to emerge from this crisis.”
In other matches today, Umm Salal face Qatar Sports Club, Al Sailiyah take on Muaither and former QSL champions Al Gharafa face an away clash against Al Arabi.
The pick of tomorrow’s matches is Al Sadd against Lekhwiya. Both sides are former champions and will be eager to claim victory to move up the table. AGENCIES/THE PENINSULA
