Kuwait Under -23 team

CAIRO, July 12: The Kuwait Olympic football team will take on Egyptian club El Gouna this evening in its second friendly match, part of its ongoing training camp in Cairo, which began last Monday.

The Blues are scheduled to play two more matches against the Egyptian national team in July

Kuwait fell 1-3 to Malia Kafr El-Zayat last Thursday in its first match, with Jarrah El Helili scoring the team's only goal.

The camp is a key component of Kuwait’s build-up to the AFC U-23 Championship qualifiers, which will be hosted by Saudi Arabia in January. Kuwait is drawn into Group B of the qualifiers, alongside Japan, Afghanistan, and Myanmar—the group stage host—from September 1 to 9.

Head coach Dario Pesic of Croatia and his assistant, Mohamed El-Felakawy utilized the match against Kafr El-Zayat to assess as many players as possible, using two different lineups in each half. The goal is to evaluate individual readiness before finalizing the roster for the qualifiers.

In addition to tactical experimentation, the coaching staff is focused on improving the players’ fitness and fostering team chemistry, especially important given the inclusion of several new faces in the squad. The ultimate aim is to prepare a competitive team capable of delivering positive results in the upcoming qualifiers.

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff