Al-Nashama raises readiness for friendly against Venezuela

The match against Venezuela is expected to be a different station for El-Zaky, especially since the coach now has a preliminary picture of the players after the Syrian experience, which gives him the opportunity to move from the initial acquaintance phase to addressing some of the observations that appeared in the previous match and working to develop the collective performance and build a clear identity for the team during the coming phase.

Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein, President of the Jordan Football Association, followed part of Al-Nashama's training at the Al-Nashama Preparation Center last Wednesday, with the presence of all players in that session, in a continuous affirmation of the importance of the phase the team is going through after the historic participation in the 2026 World Cup, and before entering the upcoming continental commitment.

Absence of Alik Samir

The preparations witnessed an important medical development represented by the injury of goalkeeper Alik Samir, who underwent medical examinations after participating as a starter against Syria in his first international appearance, where the results showed that he had a partial tear in the medial collateral ligament of the knee.

Following this, Samir left the Al-Nashama camp for treatment and rehabilitation, in coordination between the team's medical staff and his club, which reduces El-Zaky's options in the goalkeeping position during the match against Venezuela, after the goalkeeper from the American league had received an important opportunity in the first match.

El-Zaky had started his gathering with a list of 28 players, before Anas Al-Awadat joined the group, raising the list to 29 players, a step that reflects the technical staff's desire to expand options and provide opportunities for new elements during the current phase.

The Al-Nashama list includes: Yazid Abu Layla, Abdullah Al-Fakhuri, and Ahmed Al-Jueidi, Yazan Al-Arab, Abdullah Nasib, Mohamed Abu Al-Nadi, Saad Al-Roussan, Hadi Al-Hourani, Mohannad Abu Taha, Ihsan Haddad, Ahmed Assaf, Ali Ezayza, Anas Badawi, Nour Al-Rawabdeh, Nizar Al-Rashid, Ibrahim Saada, Youssef Qashi, Amer Jamous, Mahmoud Shawkat, Youssef Abu Jalbush, Mohamed Abu Zariq, Anas Al-Awadat, Mousa Al-Taamari, Mahmoud Marzi, Tamer Bani Ouda, Ahmed Arsan, Auda Al-Fakhuri, Ali Alwan.

A different test

In contrast, the Venezuelan team enters the match after playing two matches in East Asia during the current break, where it lost to Japan 1-2 in Hiroshima on September 28, before drawing 0-0 against South Korea last Friday in Ulsan.

The result of the last match reveals that Venezuela provided a strong test against the Korean team, as the match ended 0-0, in a match in which the Venezuelan team kept a clean sheet, before starting a new journey towards Amman in preparation for facing Al-Nashama.

Venezuela is led by coach Oswaldo Vizcarrondo, who relies on a group of players who are professionals in Europe, the United States, and South America, and the most prominent names in the list are Yangel Herrera, a player for Real Sociedad, and Telasco Segovia, a player for Inter Miami, along with Christian Casillas, David Martinez, Kevin Kelsey, Gonder Cadiz, and Jesus Ramirez. The expanded list that was announced for this round includes 34 players, as part of the technical staff's approach to provide more space for testing and evaluation.

The available information indicates that the Venezuelan team was still in South Korea until it played its match against the hosts last Friday, while no reliable official announcement has been issued until the preparation of this material to determine the date of arrival of the Venezuelan delegation to Amman or to confirm its arrival; therefore, the details related to the date of arrival and the place of residence are still in need of official confirmation from the Venezuelan side or the Jordan Football Association.

The visiting team is expected to take advantage of the upcoming hours to rest and reorganize its ranks after its second match in the Asian tour, before moving to Jordan to play its third match during the break.

A new station for El-Zaky

For Al-Nashama, the match against Venezuela represents a second opportunity for El-Zaky to test his ideas, especially since the technical staff now has a real experience against Syria that can be built upon, whether in selecting names or playing style or distributing roles.

The importance of the match also comes from the nature of the opponent, as Venezuela is undergoing an intensive Asian tour and has previously faced Japan and South Korea, which gives Al-Nashama the opportunity to confront a South American team that has professional elements in a number of foreign leagues.

El-Zaky had confirmed that the current phase represents an opportunity to get to know the players more, with the door still open to new names in the upcoming gatherings, which makes the match against Venezuela an extension of the testing phase and not just a match whose goal is the result only.

Parallel to the technical aspect, the Football Association put tickets for the match on sale to the public, a step that reflects the desire to maintain the audience's presence behind Al-Nashama during the preparation phase, which will continue during the upcoming breaks, leading up to the Asian Cup finals scheduled in Saudi Arabia at the beginning of next year.

As the match date approaches, attention is directed to tomorrow's training session in front of the media and what technical arrangements will be made during it, especially as El-Zaky will have a new opportunity to watch his elements under the pressure of an international match and work to fix the positives and address the negatives that appeared against Syria, before gradually starting to form the clearest picture of the team he wants to lead in the coming phase.

The match on Tuesday will thus be more than just another friendly; it is an additional station in the process of reshaping and selecting the features of Al-Nashama, especially as the team is preparing for an important continental commitment, after the draw for the 2027 Asian Cup placed it in Group Two alongside Uzbekistan, Bahrain, and North Korea.