KUWAIT CITY, July 18: The Al Arabi Club delegation departed early this morning for a training camp in Erzurum, Turkey, in preparation for the upcoming season.

Initially planned for Bosnia, the camp location was shifted to Turkey due to visa complications for the team's foreign players. During its training camp, Al-Arabi is scheduled to play three friendly matches, continuing until the end of this month.

Ranked second in the Zain Premier League, Al Arabi will also participate in the group stage of the Asian Challenge Cup League.

In related news, Algerian professional Sofiane Bouchard is set to join the team's camp next week, following his recent return from special leave in Algeria. The club clarified there are no financial disputes, reaffirming Bouchard's commitment to continue his career at Al-Arabi.

Bouchard recently completed a loan spell with CS Belouizdad, concluding with the Algerian Cup victory on July 5 against MC Algiers.

Meanwhile, the Kuwait Club team continues rigorous training sessions twice daily in Turkey, part of their ongoing camp until July 29. Kuwait Club will play its second friendly match against Uzbekistan's Lokomotiv. It began its camp with a victory over Turkey's Amed FK, securing a 2-0 win with goals from Ali Hussein and Amr Abdel Fattah.

The team starts its season against Al-Qadisiya on August 8 in the Zain Premier League. It will then face Al-Ahly of Bahrain in Manama on August 14 in the preliminary round of the AFC Champions League's inaugural Western Region edition.

The preliminary rounds for both East and West regions involve single-match competitions, with winners advancing directly to the group stage and losers moving to the Challenge Cup.

Hassan Musa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff