Kuwait continues build-up for Gulf Cup

Players intensify preparation for the friendly.

BANGKOK, June 4: Kuwait continues its preparations with a friendly match against Thailand at 3:30 p.m. Kuwait time today at Thammasat University Stadium in Pathum Thani, north of Bangkok.

The team is set to return home tomorrow following the cancellation of a second friendly against Oman, originally scheduled for June 8. The match was called off at Oman’s request, with both sides placed in the same group for Gulf Cup 27 and the AFC Asian Cup.

Al-Azraq arrived in Bangkok last Sunday for a short training camp as part of their build-up for upcoming competitions, starting with Gulf Cup 27 in Saudi Arabia next September, followed by the West Asian Championship in Oman in November, and the AFC Asian Cup 2027 in Saudi Arabia, which kicks off on January 7.

The squad features Saud Al-Houshan, Khaled Al-Rasheedi, Abdulrahman Al-Fadli, Mahdi Dashti, Fahad Al-Hajri, Rashid Al-Dosari, Khaled Sabah, Jasem Al-Matar, Reda Hani, Youssef Al-Haqan, Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi, Abdullah Al-Qurza’i, Abdullah Al-Awadhi, Ali Hassan, Nasser Fahal, Montaser Abdul Salam, Muath Al-Dhafiri, Fawaz Al-Mabilesh, Bandar Al-Brazi, Khaled Al-Murshid, Shuaib Al-Khaldi, Youssef Nasser, Mohammed Daham, Youssef Majed, Mohammed Khaled, and Eid Al-Rasheedi.

Sousa is keen to rotate the squad and give opportunities to emerging young players who have impressed in domestic competitions, including Ali Hassan, Bandar Al-Brazi, Montaser Abdul Salam, Youssef Al-Haqan, Abdullah Al-Qurza’i, and Abdullah Al-Awadhi.

He is also assessing the readiness of several returning players who have recently been absent from the national team, including Shuaib Al-Khaldi, Nasser Fahal, Khaled Sabah, Abdulrahman Al-Fadli, Fawaz Al-Mabilesh, and Eid Al-Rasheedi.

The match will be broadcast live on Kuwait TV Sports Channel 3, a move widely seen as a positive step in supporting coverage of the national team.

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff