Al Arabi and Al Qadsiah meet Pyramids and Al Arabi
Al-Arabi will conclude its pre-season training camp in the Turkish city of Erzurum with a tough friendly match against Pyramids, the runners-up of last season’s Egyptian Premier League and the 2025 CAF Champions League winners, at 4:30 PM tomorrow, Tuesday.
The "Green" team is preparing to depart directly from Turkey to India on Thursday to face hosts East Bengal on the 12th of the current month in a playoff match for qualification to the group stage of the AFC Champions League Two.
Croatian coach Goran Sablic hopes that the match against Pyramids will yield the desired benefits, whether by testing the team against a strong opponent or by finalizing the starting lineup that will compete in the continental tournament.
The squad was recently completed with the arrival of Ethiopian striker Kenyan Markiny, who joined the camp after a delay caused by issues with obtaining a visa to enter Turkish territory.
Al-Arabi played three friendly matches during the camp against Turkish teams, losing to Erzurumspor 3-1, drawing with Vanspor 1-1, and defeating Ammedspor’s reserve side 4-0.
In a separate development, Al-Arabi Club expressed its sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the Republic of India, Meshal Mustafa Al-Shammari, for his keen interest and his kind initiative to communicate with the club’s delegation ahead of the team’s match against Indian side East Bengal.
In a statement on its official website, the club praised the ambassador’s commitment to providing all necessary resources to facilitate the mission, as well as his efforts to streamline visa procedures, emphasizing the importance of representing the State of Kuwait to the best of its ability in this continental tournament.
The club also appreciated Al-Shammari’s promise to visit the delegation’s accommodation and check on all its members, a gesture reflecting his support and concern.
In the Turkish city of Izmit, Al-Qadsia will face Saudi First Division side Al-Arabi at 5:45 PM tomorrow at the Sabanca Stadium in their second pre-season friendly.
The "Yellow" team drew 1-1 with Al-Zulfi last Wednesday in a match where coach Mohammed Ibrahim played two different lineups in each half. This approach may continue tomorrow, as the "General" aims to give all players the opportunity to play and showcase their abilities, as was the case with young Khalid Al-Kharqaoui, a player from Al-Kuwait and former Olympic national team member, who participated on a trial basis before the technical staff was convinced of his level and recommended signing him.
Also in Izmit, Al-Salmiya’s coach, Bahraini Ali Ashour, confirmed that the result of the friendly match against Egyptian club ZED did not reflect the performance delivered by the "Sky Blues."
Al-Salmiya lost 3-0 to the Egyptian team, which plays in the Egyptian Premier League, in their first pre-season friendly on Sunday.
Ashour stated that the three goals conceded resulted from individual errors in passing and positioning, expressing his satisfaction with the players' performance, particularly regarding their high physical fitness against a ready opponent.
He praised the level shown by the new players in the team, noting that he focused on the physical aspect and the defensive system during the "ZED trial."
He clarified that the upcoming period will see greater emphasis on attacking aspects, promising further development for the team during the remainder of the camp, which will include four additional friendly matches.
He mentioned that he distributed playing time among 25 players in the match to create a competitive environment for starting positions, which will positively impact the team’s overall level.
