Injury Keeps Al-Daham Out of Al-Azraq's Matches Against Syria and Honduras

The national football team continued its daily training sessions today at the Jaber Al-Ahmad Stadium in the Sulaibikhat Club, under the guidance of Portuguese coach Helio Sousa and his coaching staff, in preparation for two friendly matches against Syria and Honduras on Friday and Tuesday next week, respectively, as part of the current Blue Camp during FIFA’s international window.

The national team kicked off its training yesterday at the Friendship and Peace Stadium in the Kazma Club, with 28 players present out of the 30 included in Sousa’s squad for this camp, in preparation for the two matches. Mohamed Daham and Mohamed Jassim Al-Huwaidi were absent from training due to injuries; Daham is definitely ruled out of both friendlies, while Al-Huwaidi may join the second match if he achieves full technical and physical fitness to resume training.

Sousa plans to rely on two groups of players from the current squad to participate in the two friendly matches, aiming to provide opportunities for as many players as possible to feature and gain the required experience, in line with the rotation policy he employs in matches. This approach also takes into account the presence of several young players recently added to the national team squad across various positions.

Sousa’s rotation strategy aims to give players the chance to showcase their abilities and allow the coaching staff to closely monitor their levels, both in training sessions and during the matches. Although these are friendlies, he treats them with a serious, official approach.

Sousa seeks to maintain his players’ fitness by gradually increasing physical loads, given that the players have participated in a large number of matches last month, with the goal of preventing any injuries related to fatigue.