Al Ahli coach Milan Macala spoke to the media ahead of their QNB Stars League Week 12 match against Al Rayyan.

“We are preparing for the Al Rayyan game just like we prepare for any match. They are a strong side with players of high calibre, like Rodrigo Tabata and Sebastian Soria.

“We are trying our best to reach the top four and we hope to win the next game against Al Rayyan in the opening round of the second leg. I always repeat that the matches against big teams are a chance to measure the strength of Al Ahli.

“We played an exceptional game against Al Khor in the last round and I was very happy with the three points we collected as they are a tricky side. There are six teams seeking entry into the top-four bracket. So the onus is on us to score as many victories as possible to achieve our target.

“Despite our unimpressive start to the campaign, I am happy with what we achieved at the end of first leg. There are some games that we did not deserve to lose,” said Macala.