The “Arkadag” football club held its first training session at the Olympic Stadium in Ashgabat after returning from training camp abroad. This was reported by the International Information Center of the State Committee of Turkmenistan for Television, Radio Broadcasting, and Cinematography.

According to the publication, the first training session focused on the players' recovery after training camp, tactical development, and the integration of new players into the team.

“Arkadag” held a training camp in Antalya, Türkiye, from January 12 to February 2. Led by Vladimir Bayramov, the team played four friendly matches: against Moldova's “Milsami” (1-3), Makhachkala's “Dynamo” (0-1), Kosovo's “Dukagjini” (0-1), and “Feronikeli” (2-0).

The champion of Turkmenistan is preparing for the AFC Champions League Round of 16, where they will face Saudi Arabia's “Al-Nassr”. The first leg will be played at the Olympic Stadium in Ashgabat, with the return leg taking place on February 18 in Saudi Arabia.

It's worth noting that this will be the first official football match in the history of the Olympic Stadium, which was built for the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games. The arena has a capacity of 45 thousand spectators.

In the tournament's group stage, “Al-Nassr” won six of their six matches in group D, with a goal difference of 22-2. “Arkadag” finished second in group B with one win, four draws, and one loss (five goals scored and six conceded).

The Saudi Arabian club features five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, who turns 41 on February 5. The team also includes João Félix, Sadio Mané, Kingsley Coman, Iñigo Martínez, Marcelo Brozović, and Brazilians Bento Krepski and Gabriel Angelo. The team is led by 71-year-old Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus.

According to Transfermarkt, the combined value of “Al-Nassr's” players is 133,4 million euros, while “Arkadag's” is 3,15 million euros.

The winner of this match will play the winner of the match between “Al-Zawraa” (Iraq) and “Al-Wasl” (UAE) in the quarterfinals.