Pizzi seeks to involve the largest number of players against Yemen.

DOHA, Dec 8: Kuwait will play its first friendly match at 6:00 pm today, meeting Yemen at the Abdullah bin Khalifah Stadium in Al-Duhail Club, as part of its preparatory camp in Doha, Qatar.

Kuwait is set for another friendly match against Lebanon on December 12, with plans underway to arrange a third match during its camp, which began on November 28. These matches are part of Kuwait's preparation program for the upcoming "Khaleeji Zain 26”, scheduled to take place in Kuwait from December 21 to January 3.

In the draw, Kuwait was placed in Group One alongside Qatar, the UAE, and Oman, while Group Two comprises Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Yemen.

Led by Argentine coach Juan Pizzi, Kuwait’s national team consists of 30 players, including:

Suleiman Abdul Ghafoor, Khaled Al-Rashidi, Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli, Saud Al-Hoshan, Rashid Al-Dosari, Sami Al-Sanea, Moaz Al-Dhafiri, Fahad Al-Hajri, Mishari Ghannam, Hassan Hamdan, Nasser Khader, Khaled Ibrahim, Eid Al-Rashidi, Reda Hani, Ahmed Al-Dhafiri, Faisal Zayed, Sultan Al-Enezi, Mohammed Daham, Hamad Harbi, Fawaz Ayed, Moaz Al-Aseema, Yousef Majed, Ali Khalaf, Salman Al-Awadhi, Yousef Nasser, Montaser Abdulsalam, Mubarak Al-Fanini, Bandar Bursali, Mahdi Dashti, and Khaled Al-Kharqawi.

Defender Khaled Ibrahim and forward Yousef Nasser are currently undergoing treatment for muscle injuries, ruling them out of the friendly matches. Ibrahim is working on his recovery to be fit for the Gulf Championship, while Nasser has been absent from recent training sessions since late November.

Coach Pizzi and his staff aim to use these friendly matches to evaluate the readiness of all players and finalize the squad of 23 for the championship. Several players, including Reda Hani, Suleiman Abdul Ghafoor, Mishari Ghannam, and Mahdi Dashti, are also recovering from minor injuries but have joined intensive treatment programs. They are expected to have a chance to play in today’s match.

The Al-Azraq squad remains focused on refining its preparations, with Pizzi determined to assess the largest number of players to ensure a competitive start to its campaign.