KUWAIT CITY, Feb 5: Guy Mbienza and Arsene Zola have officially joined Kuwait Club and commenced training, having signed contracts until the conclusion of the current season. This comes as a replacement for Tunisian players Yassine Al-Khanisi and Bilal Al-Aifa.

In an unfortunate turn, "Al-Abyad" has removed the name of Tunisian top scorer Al-Khanisi from the roster due to a cartilage injury sustained while representing his country in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

Kuwait Club coach Nabil Maaloul, is intensifying preparations for the upcoming clash against Al-Qadisiya in the fifteenth round of the Zain Premier League, scheduled for next Tuesday. Kuwait currently leads the league standings with 33 points, narrowly edging out Al-Arabi in goal difference and holding a one-point advantage over third-placed Al-Qadisiya.

Despite the disappointment of being eliminated from the Amir Cup quarter-finals by Al-Tadamon in a penalty shootout, Maaloul is focused on motivating his players to perform at their best and put the setback behind them.

In the Al-Qadisiya camp, defender Youssef Al-Haqqan will be absent from Coach Dr. Muhammad Al-Mashaan's plans for the semi-finals of the Amir Cup against Al-Arabi. Al-Haqqan suffered a broken nose during the quarter-final match against Al-Fahaheel last Friday, resulting in four stitches to close the wound.

However, there is positive news for Al-Qadisiya  as defender Khaled Ibrahim is poised to make a comeback for the upcoming "Derby" match after recovering from an injury that sidelined him for the last two Amir Cup matches.

Hassan Musa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff