Al-Zawraa Club star Hassan Abdulkarim "Qawqia" commented on his team's upcoming match against their Saudi counterpart Al-Nassr in the highly anticipated AFC Champions League 2 game, which will be held at Al-Oroba Park tomorrow, Wednesday.

Abdulkarim said: "Our team has prepared well for the match, and morale is very high to face a big team like Al-Nassr, which includes a group of great stars, most notably the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, the world's second-best player (in a direct provocation). Therefore, this match represents a great motivation for us."

He added: "Playing against Al-Nassr on their home ground and in front of their fans is extremely difficult, but we trust ourselves and our ability to deliver a performance worthy of the Seagulls and Iraqi football in general, especially since we are very close to qualifying for the next round, and only one match separates us, which we hope to overcome successfully to advance as far as possible in the tournament."

Meanwhile, Al-Zawraa's assistant coach Hussam Fawzi said: "The match is not without difficulty, and it comes during the Iraqi league's break. We respect Al-Nassr, and their presence is a gain for this tournament because they have the best players. Additionally, their coach is a capable man with enough experience to handle all situations and circumstances the team may face."

He continued: "We have important international players alongside good professionals, which makes our team distinctive. Without a doubt, the breaks in the Iraqi league greatly affect our participation in the Asian tournament because everyone looks for full readiness through continuous competitive matches, which we have recently lacked, and we hope the situation improves."

He concluded by saying: "We will play in a balanced manner in tomorrow’s match out of respect for the opposing team. The psychological pressure on the team in the Asian tournament has lessened after getting closer to qualifying for the second round, but we must be cautious because the opposing team is capable of deciding matches. We must maintain our focus for as long as possible during the game."