Al-Azraq departs Doha for Jeddah today

Abdulaziz Jassim: The Kuwaiti national first football team delegation departed this afternoon from the Qatari capital, Doha, to the Saudi city of Jeddah in preparation for participating in the Arabian Gulf Cup “Gulf 27,” scheduled from the 23rd of this month until October 6 next year.

Kuwait plays in Group A of “Gulf 27,” alongside the host nation Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Iraq. Group B comprises the teams of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Yemen. The day of arrival will be a rest day for the players, with training sessions set to begin tomorrow in preparation for Friday’s friendly match against Yemen, which serves as the final rehearsal for the Blue Team before its opening tournament fixture against Saudi Arabia on the 23rd.

Portuguese coach Helio Sousa knows that once training resumes tomorrow—when players from Al-Kuwait Club will join the squad after their participation today with the national team in the first round of the AFC Champions League Two against the UAE’s Al-Ittihad Kalba—he will need to finalize his starting lineup and the squad names for the tournament. Time is short, leaving no room for experimentation, and he must quickly enhance cohesion among the players following the integration of the Al-Kuwait squad members.