Al-Ittihad team concludes its preparations on Monday evening for the first friendly match of its preparatory camp in Marbella, Spain, facing South Africa's Orlando Pirates on Tuesday, a week after the start of the external camp.

The match is expected to see the debut of German coach Jens Wiseng at the helm of the team's technical staff, as he seeks to assess the players' technical and physical readiness, while also giving opportunities to as many players as possible, in preparation for evaluation before making final decisions at the end of the camp.

The match is part of the preparatory program set by the technical staff to enhance the team's readiness before the start of the new season and to build the most suitable lineup for upcoming competitions.

Al-Ittihad hopes to regain its luster in the new season, after coming away empty-handed last season, failing to win any local or international title despite competing on multiple fronts, which prompted the management and technical staff to start early preparations to strengthen the team and return strongly to the podium.