Yousef Majed attempts to take the ball from a Burgan defender.

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 8: Al-Arabi and Burgan played to a 1-1 draw in a friendly match at Sabah Al-Salem Stadium, as both teams continue preparations ahead of the resumption of the Zain Premier League and Zain First Division League.

Portuguese coach Marco Alves rotated his squad, giving playing time to a large number of players to ensure readiness for Al-Arabi’s upcoming clash with Al-Salmiya on October 19 in the fifth round of the Premier League.

Al-Arabi currently sits third in the league standings with 8 points, just one point behind second-placed Al-Salmiya and two points shy of leaders Kuwait SC.

League action has been paused since September 28 due to the international break, which continues until October 14.

In another friendly, Al-Tadamon and Al-Nasr also ended in a 1-1 draw at Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium. Al-Nasr, nicknamed “Al-Anabi” (The Maroons), opened the scoring through striker Abdulrahman Al-Rashidi, before French forward Jonathan Bamba equalized for “Azraq Al-Farwaniya” (The Blues of Farwaniya).

Al-Tadamon welcomed back Nigerian striker Afolabi Okiki from injury, alongside forward Hamed Al-Rashidi and midfielder Talal Al-Ansari, returning from previous absences. With their return, Al-Tadamon’s squad is now fully fit, ending a challenging period affected by injuries to key players.

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff