Arabi seeks third straight win as Qadsia aims to bounce back

Players vie for the ball during the Zain Premier League match.

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 5: Arabi and Qadsia head into Saturday's eighth-round Zain Premier League fixtures with different ambitions as they prepare to face Nasr and Jahra, respectively.

Arabi hosts Nasr at Sabah Al-Salem Stadium at 5:25 pm, while Qadsia takes on Jahra at Mubarak Al-Ayar Stadium at 7:40 pm.

The round kicks off on Friday with two encounters. Fahaheel (nine points) meets Sulaibikhat (four points) at Tadamon Stadium at 5:25 pm, followed by Shabab (eight points) against Tadamon (three points) at Shabab Stadium at 7:40 pm.

Sixth-placed Arabi, on nine points, will be looking to build on its recent resurgence and claim a third successive victory to move closer to the league's leading sides.

Bosnian coach Darko Nestorovic will be banking on his players' confidence after their convincing 3-0 derby triumph over archrivals Qadsia in the previous round.

Nasr, meanwhile, will be eager to recover from dropping two points in a 2-2 draw with Shabab last Monday. Third in the standings with 13 points, they are determined to return to winning ways.

National coach Thaher Al-Adwani knows his side faces a difficult assignment against Arabi and will need a highly focused and collective effort to come away with all three points.

In the other headline fixture, fourth-placed Qadsia (12 points) will be out to recover from its derby disappointment and make amends for a below-par display against Arabi.

The Yellow Castle had entered that encounter with expectations on its side, but its performance and the eventual outcome told a different story.

Coach Mohammad Ibrahim knows his team can ill afford another slip-up, especially with the gap to leader Kuwait Club having widened to four points.

Although the league campaign is still in its early stages, further dropped points could undermine Qadsia's bid to reclaim a title it has not won in 10 seasons.

Jahra, ninth with seven points, will seek to exploit Qadsia's predicament under national coach Ahmad Abdulkarim. Their confidence has also been boosted by a 3-0 victory over Fahaheel in the previous round.

Qadsia has approached the Public Authority for Sport and the Kuwait Football Association, requesting a change of venue for their match against Jahra to ensure the safety of players from both sides.

The club cited the poor condition of the pitch at Mubarak Al-Ayar Stadium as the reason behind its request.

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff