Al-Qadisiya and Al-Arabi... to restore balance
Competitions for the third round of the Zain Premier League will kick off on Friday with two matches: Al-Qadsiah versus Al-Nassr, and Al-Arabi versus Salibikhaet. The round continues on Saturday with clashes between Kuwait and Al-Jahra, and Fahaheel and Al-Tadamun.
In the first match, the game will not be easy for Al-Qadsiah against their guests, Al-Nassr, who are buoyed by two consecutive victories that propelled them to the top of the table in the previous two rounds. However, the experience and star power of Al-Qadsiah’s players, known as “The Yellow,” give them an advantage over Al-Nassr’s younger squad.
On his part, Al-Qadsiah coach Mohamed Ibrahim stated during a press conference that his team has moved past their recent defeat to “Kuwait” and is well-prepared for the encounter with Al-Nassr, who delivered a notable performance in the last two rounds.
He added that Al-Qadsiah is a champion team and will return to winning ways against Al-Nassr. For his part, Al-Nassr coach Zahir Al-Adwani knows how to handle high-profile matches and is relying on a group of promising players, such as Ali Hussein, Nasser Khader, and Algerian international Ayman Laroussi, aiming to deliver excellent technical performance through them.
Al-Arabi delivered a good performance in the first round when they drew with Kuwait, before suffering a surprising 1-2 defeat to Al-Jahra in the previous round. Therefore, a victory is urgently needed to avoid falling into an early crisis that could place Croatian coach Goran Spaljevic under further pressure.
Al-Arabi’s lineup is expected to undergo several changes in an attempt to correct their course and avoid another surprise, as the team seeks its first win in the competition.
As for Salibikhaet, they will face their opponents under the leadership of their Portuguese coach, Miranda, with the goal of securing a positive result, similar to their 1-1 draw with Al-Shabab, which could provide their players with the necessary confidence to continue the competition.
The third matchup between Kuwait and Al-Jahra appears different in terms of morale, as both teams enter the game following positive results that have raised expectations.
In Saturday’s matches, Kuwait sits in third place with four points, after securing a hard-fought victory over Al-Qadsiah in the previous round, and they are aware of the danger posed by Al-Jahra’s surprises. Al-Jahra enters the match with high morale following their win against Al-Arabi.
Kuwait relies on several key players, including Abdullah Al-Dahhas, who was named the best player of the previous round.
In the second match, Fahaheel and Al-Tadamun aim to put an end to their shaky starts, having lost their opening two matches and currently occupying eleventh and twelfth places, respectively.
Despite negative results against Al-Qadsiah and Al-Nassr, Fahaheel has displayed levels of performance inconsistent with their current standing. Their Slovakian coach, Martin Seviela, hopes to address this during the clash with Al-Tadamun in search of their first victory.
As for Al-Tadamun, they have not yet delivered the expected performance under the leadership of their Bosnian coach, Igor. Club officials hope for a victory and improved performance before the pressure intensifies, potentially forcing the football department to make decisions to steer the team back on the right track.
