"Al Hilol" coach: "We aim to play in the final match of this competition"

"Al Hilol" head coach Jorge Jesus and defender Kalidou Koulibaly participated in a press conference held before the match against "Pakhtakor," which is part of the Elite Asian Champions League quarter-finals.

"We aim to play in the final match of this competition. Tomorrow we face a serious opponent. We finished the group stage in first place. We faced strong teams in the group stage. For example, last season's champion "Al Ain." We respect "Pakhtakor" and know that tomorrow will be a tough match, but we aim to take the advantage. We need to return to Riyadh with the result we are aiming for," said Jorge Jesus.

"Tomorrow is a very important game. We have completed the group stage, and now it's the playoff matches. We are up against a serious opponent that concedes few goals. From now on, we will have games both away and at home. We aim to win tomorrow and make our fans happy. We are being highlighted as one of the leaders of the competition. We need to prove that these words are true. We need to return to Riyadh with a positive result," Kalidou Koulibaly expressed his thoughts.

- Mr. head coach, you came to Uzbekistan, specifically Namangan, a year and a half ago. After that match against "Navbahor," you mentioned that Uzbek clubs are quite competitive. What do you expect from "Pakhtakor" tomorrow? "Pakhtakor" won only once in the group stage, and that was in the last round...

- "There are many differences between the game against 'Navbahor' and tomorrow's match. 'Pakhtakor' is under the guidance of a Portuguese head coach and is a much better-formed team. It is incorrect to compare the match a year and a half ago with tomorrow's game. Despite the tough match tomorrow, I expect a positive result from my team.

Question to Kalidou Koulibaly

- When "Al Hilol" came to play against "Navbahor" a year and a half ago, your teammate Salim Al-Dawsari posted about the cold weather in Uzbekistan on his social media. The current weather is even colder than during your last visit. Will this aspect negatively affect "Al Hilol" team's performance?

- Yes, the weather will be a bit uncomfortable for us. Playing in snow and cold is not easy, but if we want to win tomorrow, we need to be ready for everything. The conditions are not as easy as expected, but we are prepared for everything. The weather and field conditions will be the same for both teams. As I mentioned earlier, our main goal is to make our fans happy with a victory. I think we need to focus more on the game.

- Six key players of "Al Hilol" will miss tomorrow's match. Will these absences affect your team's performance?

- Yes, we are playing every three days. It is not easy to operate in such a tight schedule. Naturally, injuries occur. We have lost several players. Playing football in such a short time affects the physical condition of the players. The players who will step onto the field tomorrow need to show their best game. They carry a great responsibility.

- "Al Hilol" will likely play as the first number tomorrow. "Pakhtakor," on the other hand, will try to defend more and display organized football. Have you thought about how to break through "Pakhtakor's" tight defense? If the opponent starts to defend tomorrow, what decision will you make in that situation?

- You know, anything can happen during the game. Therefore, we need to study the opponent thoroughly. Tomorrow we need to strive to create more situations. Due to the skill of the players in our squad, such a situation may occur, but this is football, and anything can happen during the game.

Source: championat.asia