Al-Ahly Faces Al-Khalidiya for a 'New Start'
Al-Kuwait Club faces Bahraini team Al-Khalidiya in the second round of the AFC Champions League, following a previous loss to Al-Ittihad Kalba.
Translated by Qiyas from الراي — Original source
Kuwait SC hopes for a fresh start in their AFC Champions League campaign when they host Bahrain’s Al-Khaldiya tomorrow, Wednesday, at Jaber Al-Ahmad Stadium in Al-Salmiya, in the second round of Group 1. The group stage also features another match between Uzbekistan’s Nasaf Qarshi and their Emirati visitors, Al-Ittihad.
Al-Khaldiya’s debut in the tournament, which they have won three times (a record shared with Iraq’s Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya), did not meet expectations after they suffered a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Al-Ittihad in Abu Dhabi.
Kuwait led 2-0 at halftime, but their performance deteriorated significantly in the second half. The situation worsened when their Bahraini player, Mohammed Marhoon, was sent off with a red card, allowing their opponents to score three more goals, the last of which came in the final moments of stoppage time.
While Al-Khaldiya remains winless after this loss, they managed to secure a single point from a goalless draw against Nasaf Qarshi in the opening round. This makes tonight’s encounter doubly important for both sides, who are seeking redemption.
Al-Khaldiya prepared well for the clash, having recently secured a convincing 7-1 victory over Al-Nassr in the fourth round of the Zain Premier League, which moved them to the top of the table.
On the other hand, Al-Khaldiya also leads the Bahraini Premier League, having earned a valuable 2-2 draw against Al-Muharraq in the fourth round’s climax, after trailing 0-2 until the final minutes.
Al-Khaldiya’s squad, managed by Croatian coach Goran Tomić, boasts a large number of foreign players. The team’s roster that traveled to Kuwait includes Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo Silva, Moroccans Abdhaq Asaal, Walid Sabbar, Saifeddine Bouherga, and Nizar Al-Othmani, Macedonian Darko Vilkovski, Irishman Clyde O’Connell, Tunisian Osama Sahlí, Algerian Rachid Bousous, Cameroonian Fabrice Onana, Brazilian Gilson Moreira, Croatian Domagoj Druzdek, and Zimbabwean Patrick Maswanganyi.
The squad also features three international players who recently represented the Bahrain national team at Gulf Cup 27: goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Gharabli, Mehdi Hamidan, and Mohammed Al-Rumaihi.
