Al-Arabi and Al-Qadsiah face Egypt's Pyramids and Saudi Arabia's Al-Orobah

Al-Arabi’s first football team is set to play a strong friendly match against Egyptian side Pyramids at 4:15 p.m. today (Tuesday) in Turkey, as part of their preparations for their clash with Indian team East Bengal, scheduled for the 12th of the current month in the playoff round for the main stage of the 2024 AFC Champions League Two.

The encounter with Pyramids serves as the final rehearsal for the Green Army before facing East Bengal. The technical staff, led by Croatian coach Goran Sablic, aims to derive maximum benefit from the match, particularly given that Pyramids is a strong opponent featuring several Egyptian national team players who recently participated with the Pharaohs in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, including standout performer Zico, alongside five capable expatriate players.

The coaching staff has set several objectives for this friendly, foremost among them assessing the technical and physical levels of the players, and rectifying errors observed in the team’s previous three friendly matches during their Turkish training camp. Additionally, the staff intends to implement the tactical system and formation they plan to use against East Bengal, which emphasizes balance between attack and defense, coupled with a fast-paced style of play.

Meanwhile, Al-Qadsiah’s first football team will face Saudi side Al-Orobah at 5:45 p.m. today in the Turkish city of Izmit, as part of their friendly schedule during their training camp.

Similar to their match against Al-Zulfi, the technical staff, led by coach Mohamed Ibrahim, will give 22 players the opportunity to participate in the game, aiming to prepare them and maximize the benefits of the match, especially since Al-Qadsiah fielded two different lineups in their previous friendly.

On the other hand, Al-Salmiya’s first football team continues their training camp in Turkey without a break following their friendly match against Egyptian side ZED, which took place on Sunday evening and ended in a 3-0 defeat for the Sky Blues.

Al-Salmiya’s coach, Ali Ashour, praised ZED’s team, emphasizing that the opponent is very strong, particularly as they are set to participate in the CAF Confederation Cup. He noted that the match was ZED’s fourth during their preparation period, while it was Al-Salmiya’s first.

Ashour insisted that the result did not reflect Al-Salmiya’s level and performance in the match, expressing his satisfaction with the players’ output, especially the contributions of the new signings.

He clarified that his focus during the match with the Sky Blues was primarily on physical conditioning and the defensive system in particular, confirming that the team’s level will gradually improve with each training session and friendly match.

Ashour thanked Al-Salmiya’s Board of Directors Chairman, Sheikh Turki Al-Yousef, for organizing this exemplary training camp, which provides all necessary facilities, including training pitches and venues for matches.

He added that the camp will have a positive impact on Al-Salmiya in the coming period, helping to enhance the players’ readiness ahead of the start of the new season’s competitions.