Kelantan will get an idea of what it will be like in their maiden foray into the AFC Cup next year when they play Indonesian club Persebaya in two friendly matches in Kota Baru and Surabaya later this month.
Coach Peter Butler is expected to field all four of his foreign signings as the matches against the Indonesian Premier League side will allow the players to familiarise themselves against Indonesian opponents after being drawn with Arema in Group H.
Kelantan FA president Tan Sri Annuar Musa had expressed hope the Super League champion will acquit themselves well in the AFC Cup, hence the decision to sign Lebanese players Mohammed Ghaddar and Zakaria Charara and Ghanaians Emmanuel Okine and Denny Antwi.
The first match will take place at the Sultan Mohammed IV Stadium in Kota Baru on Friday ahead of the return fixture five days later in Surabaya.
In between the two matches, Kelantan will travel to Kuala Lumpur to play the city side in a friendly at the Petaling Jaya Stadium on Christmas Day.
"The two matches will provide valuable experience to Kelantan when playing against a side as talented as Persebaya.
"It is the perfect pre-season competition for us," said Annuar in a statement.
Persebaya will be fielding their best players including Brazilian duo Otavio Dutra and Alexandre Da Silva Mariano and Australians Mario Karlovic and Andrew Barisic. Also in the squad is Indonesia international Andik Vermansyah.
Kelantan will kick off the season with the Charity Shield clash against Malaysia Cup champions Negri Sembilan on Jan 7 in Kota Baru before getting the defence of their league title underway three days later against Singapore LionsXII.
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