Riffa begin Dubai camp ahead of new season

TDT | Manama

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Riffa have begun preparations for the new football season after the first-team squad departed for Dubai yesterday to stage an overseas training camp.

The camp is part of the club’s build-up towards the start of the Nasser bin Hamad Premier League, where they will begin their campaign against newly promoted Al Ittifaq.

Guided by Kuwaiti head coach Mohamed Al Mashaan, Riffa are aiming to mount a stronger league challenge after finishing third last season with 49 points from 22 matches. The Blues recorded 17 victories, four draws and three defeats during the campaign.

They did, however, finish the season with silverware, lifting the Khalid bin Hamad Cup after defeating Muharraq on penalties in the final. They also reached the King’s Cup final, where they suffered defeat against the same opponents.

The Dubai camp will feature a series of friendly matches as Riffa prepare for a campaign that will see them compete across multiple fronts, including the Nasser bin Hamad Premier League, King’s Cup and the defence of their Khalid bin Hamad Cup title.

Al Mashaan will be assisted by Mohamed Abdo as the squad continues its preparations ahead of the new season.

The travelling squad includes Mehdi Abduljabbar, Mehdi Abdullah, Hamad Bader, Hamad Shamsan, Abdulkarim Al Fardan, Abdullah Al Eker, Komail Al Adham, Sayed Mahmoud Al Moosawi, Yacoub Diarra, Mahmood Al Bannai, Sayed Redha Isa, Hussain Al Akar, Abbas Al Asfoor, Jassim Al Shaikh, Komail Al Aswad, Ali Hasan, Taib Meziani, Ali Madan, Ahmed Abdulhameed, Vinicius Vargas, Rodrigo, Clayton Silva, Samuel Tuskas, Bartikus and Wellington Moreira.