Kuwait Club begins London camp with defeat; Al Arabi prepares for Pyramids friendly

Players vie for the ball during the friendly match between Kuwait Club and Milton Keynes in London.

LONDON, Aug 1: Kuwait Club opened its friendly campaign during its training camp in London with a narrow 1-0 defeat against English side Milton Keynes.

Head coach Alexandre Santos rotated his squad throughout the match as he looked to evaluate players’ fitness levels and readiness, while also experimenting with different tactical setups ahead of the new season.

The “White” team returned to training yesterday with double sessions in London as preparations continue for its upcoming friendlies. Kuwait Club will face Portsmouth next Wednesday before taking on Barnet the following Sunday.

The reigning league champion is preparing for the new Kuwait Premier League season, which kicks off on August 25, as it aims to defend the title it has won for five consecutive seasons. The club is also preparing for its campaign in the AFC Champions League Two.

Al Arabi will face Egyptian side Pyramids FC in a friendly match on Tuesday as part of their joint training camp in Turkey.

The game will mark Al Arabi’s fourth friendly in Turkey, following a 4-0 win over Amed Spor, a 1-1 draw with Van Spor, and a 3-1 loss to Erzurumspor.

The “Green” squad will remain in Turkey until the end of the week before traveling to India for its AFC Champions League Two playoff encounter against East Bengal in Kolkata on August 12. It will then return home to continue preparations for the Zain Premier League campaign.

The Asian Football Confederation has appointed a Tajikistan refereeing team for the match, led by referee Gulmurodi Sadullo, assisted by Hasan Karimov and Farhod Kuralov, with Nasrullo Kabirov as the fourth official.

Salmiya will begin its friendly schedule in Turkey today when it takes on Egyptian club ZED FC.

The “Sky Blues” have also confirmed further warm-up matches, facing Al Markhiya of Qatar on August 6 and Olympique Chlef of Algeria on August 10, while searching for a fourth friendly on August 14.

Kazma started its Turkey camp friendlies with a 2-2 draw against Qatari side Al Waab.

The team will next meet Saudi club Al Raed on Thursday, followed by a clash with Bahrain’s Al Khaldiya on August 10, before wrapping up their friendly schedule against Olympique Chlef on August 13.

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff