Sapeltich selects Asian Champions League professionals

Al-Arabi’s first football team began its training sessions in India, specifically in Kolkata, in preparation for Wednesday’s match against Indian side East Bengal in the AFC Champions League Two playoff. The Green arrived in Kolkata on Saturday after concluding their preparatory camp in Erzurum, Turkey.

Regarding the camp and its technical benefits, team delegation head Khaled Al-Qabandi stated that Al-Arabi successfully completed its Turkish camp, achieving all the technical and physical objectives set within the team’s preparatory program. He praised the outstanding efforts of both the technical and administrative staff, commending the players’ commitment.

He emphasized that the upcoming phase requires continuing to work with the same spirit and focus, expressing confidence in the team to translate the progress made during the camp into positive results as official competitions begin, thereby delighting the Al-Arabi fanbase and fulfilling their expectations.

Al-Arabi traveled directly to Kolkata after playing four friendly matches during their camp in preparation for the encounter with the Indian side. They lost 3-1 to Erzurumspor, drew 1-1 with Van Sport, and defeated Amed Spor 4-0, all Turkish clubs. Finally, they lost 3-1 to Pyramids FC.

In other developments, rumors suggested that the technical staff, led by Croatian coach Goran Sablic, had finalized their lineup choices for the match against East Bengal, featuring five foreign players: Anyue Iwualla, Jawhar Rasool, Leonardo Sheldon, Zaid Qanbar, and Kenan Malikovic. This selection aligns with the specific regulations governing the number of foreign players permitted to participate with the team in the tournament.