BANGKOK, June 2: Kuwaiti will conclude its training camp in Bangkok, Thailand, today, before departing tomorrow for Kolkata, India, where it’s set to face India next Thursday in the fifth round of the joint World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers’ first group stage. After the Indian game, Kuwait will return home to host Afghanistan on June 11 in the sixth and final round of this stage.
The team, led by Portuguese coach Rui Pinto, has been in Bangkok since last week, conducting twice-daily training sessions to maximize its readiness and secure a positive result to bolster its chances of advancing to the next stage.
Ahead of the recent training session, the technical and administrative staff met with the players to emphasize the importance of this critical phase and to encourage them to give their best effort in the two decisive matches. They aim to achieve positive results that would ensure their progression in the qualifiers.
Currently, Kuwait is in fourth place in its group with 3 points. Qatar leads the group with 12 points and has already secured qualification. India is in second place with 4 points, level on points with Afghanistan but ahead on goal difference.
Training in Bangkok has boosted the players’ morale and their commitment to following the technical and administrative staff’s instructions. They have focused on implementing the tactics practiced in the camp to reach peak readiness for their upcoming matches.
Coach Rui Pinto selected a squad of 26 players: Fahd Al-Hajri, Sami Al-Sanea, Muhammad Dahham, Ahmed Al-Dhafiri, Reda Hani, Mishari Ghannam, Faisal Zayed, Saud Al-Hawshan, Youssef Nasser, Mubarak Al-Fanini, Khaled Ibrahim, Eid Al-Rashidi, Rashid Al-Dosari, Abdulaziz Wadi, Hassan Hamdan, Sultan Al-Anzi, Ali Khalaf, Suleiman Abdul-Ghafour, Badr Tariq, Salman Al-Awadi, Abdul Rahman Al-Fadhli, Mahdi Dashti, Athbi Shehab, Hamad Harbi, Bandar Bouresli, and Salman Buramiya. Moaz Al-Asmaa was later chosen to replace Salman Al-Awadi, who was suspended by the AFC for participating with the U-23 team in the recent Asian Cup finals in Qatar last April. Additionally, Reda Hani returned to Kuwait the day before yesterday due to the death of his father.
Khaled El Anzi
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff