Al Duhail SC head coach Christophe Galtier has said the international break might have come not at the right time because he is set to miss key players to their national teams.

Specifically, the French tactician pointed out how concerning Michael Olunga‘s absence could be. Olunga is set to be part of the Harambee Stars squad that will take on Zimbabwe on November 15, 2024, in a 2025 African Cup of Nations qualifier.

The following game will be against Namibia, four days later after facing The Warriors.

On the other hand, Al Duhail are set to miss key players for their league matches. The club is atop the Qatari Stars League with 19 points, four more than their close rivals Al Sadd.

“The upcoming international break will of course not be in our favour due to the large number of international players in our team, including players from the Qatari national team, in addition to Michael Olunga, a player for the Kenyan national team, but of course, we care about the interests of the Qatari national team, and we will try to prepare the rest of the players for the upcoming challenges,” Galtier said as per the club’s website.

Meanwhile, Al Duhail are preparing to face Al Shamal on Friday, November 1, 2024, and the tactician pointed out what they must do.

“Al Shamal are performing at a great level, but we will work to narrow the spaces for them so that we do not leave them playing comfortably, which will cause us trouble at the defensive level.

“They have players who previously played for our team, and indeed, they are a strong team, and they will try to present a good level during the match, but we will spoil the opportunity for them. We will try to impose our style from the start of the match so that we do not make the same mistakes as in the previous match.

“We will work hard to correct the mistakes of the last match, especially the way of building up the play and the connection between the different lines of the team, and to return to our usual way of playing,” he concluded.

Olunga remains a key player for the Qatari side and looks to have regained his form, especially after returning from an injury spell.