Prince Ali Follows Al-Nashmeh's Preparations for Venezuela Friendly

His Highness's follow-up comes at a time when the team enters a new stage under El-Zaky, who has been getting to know the players' abilities and his technical options more closely since the start of the first gathering, in an attempt to build a clear picture of the next stage, especially since the main goal remains preparing Al-Nashmeh for the upcoming continental commitment, after the historic participation in the 2026 World Cup, and reaching the final of the Asian Cup in the last edition.

The friendly match program in the capital Amman provides the technical staff with an important opportunity to work in stable conditions, with the presence of the audience, in addition to the possibility of following and testing the largest number of players in international match conditions, which was evident in the first match against Syria, which ended in a 1-1 draw, and witnessed the participation of a large number of players and El-Zaky making a wide range of substitutions with the aim of assessing the technical and physical readiness of different options.

From Syria to Venezuela

After the match against Syria bore the features of the first test for the coach, Al-Nashmeh moves to a more technically powerful station against Venezuela, a match that is expected to give El-Zaky more space to read the performance of his players against an opponent from a different football school, characterized by speed, physical strength, and the ability to offensive transition.

Al-Nashmeh advanced against Syria with a goal by Alwan, before the Syrian team equalized at the beginning of the second half, and El-Zaky during the match was keen to give the opportunity to the largest possible number of players, within the evaluation process and testing alternatives, a process that will continue against Venezuela more clearly.

The match against Venezuela appears important for El-Zaky not only from the perspective of the result, but also as an opportunity to correct some of the observations that appeared against Syria, and to raise the level of harmony between the lines, and to test more than one option in different positions, especially since the coming period will require gradually reaching a more stable group of players and the basic formation.

A Different Latin Test

As for the Venezuelan team, it enters the match against Oman as part of an Asian tour that includes three friendly matches, starting with Japan on September 28, then meeting South Korea on Friday, before concluding its tour with a match against Al-Nashmeh in Amman on October 6.

Venezuela lost to Japan 1-2 in Hiroshima, after Venezuelan striker Kevin Kelsi scored early in the second half, before Japan turned the score around with two goals by Owaishi Oeda, one of them a penalty in stoppage time.

Venezuela is led by coach Osvaldo Viscarrondo, who took over permanently in January last year, and has a long-term project aimed at building a team capable of competing in the coming years, with a clear focus on reaching the 2030 World Cup, as confirmed by the coach in his talk with FIFA.

Venezuela ranks 47th in the International Federation's classification according to the classification issued on July 20 last year, and its list includes a group of players who are professionals in foreign clubs, including Yangel Herrera of Real Sociedad, his colleague Juan Aramburo, Nahuel Ferraresi of Botafogo, and Kevin Kelsi, in addition to a group of young names that form part of the Venezuelan national team's new project.

Venezuela's list for the Asian tour included 34 players, with the absence of some names for various reasons, while the tour provided an opportunity for the technical staff to continue the evaluation process and build the team for the next stage.

Therefore, Tuesday's match does not seem to be just another friendly match on the Nashmeh's agenda, but a real test of the team's ability to deal with an opponent who possesses different characteristics from the Asian teams they will face later.

Ali Samir Leaves

In an unfortunate development during the preparations, medical examinations that Nashmeh's goalkeeper Ali Samir underwent revealed a partial tear in the medial collateral ligament of the knee, which necessitated his departure from the team's camp to receive treatment and rehabilitation, in coordination between the Nashmeh's medical staff and the club.

Ali Samir had recorded his first international appearance against Syria, in an important step for the goalkeeper who joined the team's list during the current phase, before the injury put an end to his participation in the rest of the camp.

The injury forces El-Zaky to deal with the available options in the goalkeeping position, where the list includes Abu Laila, Abdullah Al-Fakhuri, and Ahmed Al-Judeidi.

El-Zaky had announced at the beginning of the gathering a list that included 28 players, before Ans Al-Awdat was later called up, raising the list to 29 players, while Ali Samir left the camp after the recent injury.

The Nashmeh's list currently includes: Yazid Abu Laila, Abdullah Al-Fakhuri, Ahmed Al-Judeidi, Yazan Al-Arab, Abdullah Nasib, Muhammad Abu Al-Nadli, Saad Al-Rassan, Hadi Al-Hourani, Mohannad Abu Taha, Ehsan Haddad, Ahmed Assaf, Anas Badawi, Nour Al-Rawabdeh, Nizar Al-Rashad, Ibrahim Saada, Youssef Qashi, Amer Jamous, Mahmoud Shawkat, Youssef Abu Jalbush, Mousa Al-Ta'amri, Mohannad Marzi, Tamer Bani Odeh, Ahmed Irsan, Ali Al-Azaizeh, Auda Al-Fakhuri, Muhammad Abu Zariq, Ali Alwan, and Anas Al-Awdat.

El-Zaky has a wide range of options in the other positions, which gives him more space for experimentation and comparison.

From Experimentation to Fixing Ideas

Attention in the current phase is directed to what El-Zaky will present against Venezuela, especially after he obtained a preliminary picture of his players during the match against Syria.

The Moroccan coach is not looking at this stage for a final formation as much as he is seeking to form a comprehensive picture of the group, and to know the extent to which each player is capable of implementing the ideas he wants, in addition to identifying the elements that can form the backbone of the team during the upcoming commitments.

At the same time, the match against Venezuela represents an opportunity for the players to prove themselves, especially in the presence of young names and others seeking to enhance their presence with the team, alongside experienced players, including Al-Ta'amri, Al-Arab, Al-Rawabdeh, Al-Rashad, Alwan, and others.

It is expected that the technical staff will focus in the coming days on raising physical readiness, addressing the observations that appeared against Syria, and working to increase offensive effectiveness and reduce spaces in the defensive case, in addition to improving the transition process between defense and attack.

The Road to the Asian Cup

This phase gains its importance from the fact that it represents the practical start of preparing for the 2027 Asian Cup, where the draw placed Al-Nashmeh in Group Two alongside Uzbekistan, Bahrain, and North Korea.

Al-Nashmeh will begin their continental journey by facing Uzbekistan on Friday, January 8, at King Abdullah City Stadium in Jeddah, then meeting Bahrain on Wednesday, January 13, at the same stadium, before concluding the group stage with a match against North Korea on Sunday, January 17, at Imam Muhammad bin Saud University Stadium in Riyadh.

The finals will be held in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5, 2027, which means that the technical staff has a suitable period to work, but at the same time, it requires investing every gathering and every friendly match in building a more stable and cohesive team.

From here, the match against Venezuela comes at an important time, as it provides El-Zaky with a new opportunity to test his players against a different opponent, and allows him to continue drawing the features of the team he wants to play with in the Asian commitment.

Between the administrative presence of His Highness Prince Ali, the continuous technical work led by El-Zaky, and the players' keenness to establish their feet in the new phase, the picture is clear: Al-Nashmeh has actually entered the post-World Cup phase, and the next goal is to build a team capable of continuing to be in the circle of continental competition, benefiting from the experience it gained during the past period, and looking forward to a new beginning whose title is stability, development, and readiness.

The match against Venezuela remains an additional station on this path, and a date that is expected to provide the technical staff with new answers about their options, before moving to more important stages on the way to preparing for the continental finals.