Kuwait’s Al-Arabi has arrived in Male without an important attacking midfielder for their match against Maldivian champions Maziya.
The match between these two teams, scheduled for tomorrow at the Galolhu Stadium, is an AFC Champions League playoff match. The winner of this match will advance to the group stage of the tournament.
Ali Khalaf, the midfielder who played in last year’s tournament semi-final and also plays for the Kuwait national team, is not coming for this match due to an injury he is currently receiving treatment for. The team has informed that it will take 10 days for his muscle injury to fully heal.
The 30-year-old Khalaf has scored 14 goals in 78 matches for Al-Arabi. He has also scored one goal in 22 matches for the Kuwait national team.
Although Khalaf is absent, Al-Arabi’s team includes six players from the Kuwait national team and six foreign players. These include two defenders from Syria and Uganda, two forwards from Nigeria, and two midfielders from France and Iran. The French midfielder is set to be released due to poor performance.
Al-Arabi arrived in Male after a training camp in Abu Dhabi where they played three matches. They lost in matches against Al-Baniyas, Hatta, and Al-Wahda.
While this team has playe played three competitive matches, the Maldivian football season has been suspended for over a year and a half. As a result, Maziya hasn’t had the opportunity to play a competitive match.
These two teams also competed in the Champions League group stage held in Kuwait last year. Maziya lost that match 2-0.
