Al-Ahram puts the finishing touches on tomorrow's match against East Bengal

The technical staff of Al-Arabi’s first football team, led by Portuguese coach Goran Sablic and his assistants, are putting the finishing touches today in preparation for tomorrow’s match against Indian side East Bengal in Kolkata, as part of the AFC Champions League Two playoff round. The team is holding its main training session in readiness for the clash.

Al-Arabi, known as “The Green,” has conducted a series of training sessions since arriving last Saturday from the Turkish city of Erzurum, where they held a pre-season camp to prepare for the new season’s commitments, with tomorrow’s match being the first major test for the team and its technical staff. Everyone is aiming to pass this stage and reach the group stage of the Asian competition.

During their Turkish camp, Al-Arabi played four friendly matches in preparation for the encounter with the Indian side. They lost 3-1 to Erzurumspor, drew 1-1 with Vanspor, and won 4-0 against Amasyaspor, all Turkish clubs. Finally, they lost 3-1 to Egyptian side Pyramids FC. These matches served as technical experiments aimed at fostering cohesion between new professional and local players and the existing squad, while instilling the coach’s tactical philosophy suited to the players’ abilities.