Kuwait Club player fires a shot on goal during the game.

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 30: Kuwait Club and Al-Arabi head into today’s final group stage matches of the AFC Challenge League with a simple goal: win or go home.

Kuwait Club takes on Bashundhara Kings of Bangladesh at Jaber Al-Mubarak Stadium at 7:00 p.m. in Group B. At the same time, Al-Arabi faces Ramos United of Kyrgyzstan at the Dolin Omurzakov Stadium in Bishkek at 5:00 p.m. in Group C.

Only the group winners and the best second-placed team from each group will advance to the next round.

Kuwait Club needs a victory to advance, provided Seeb SC draws against Lebanese side Al-Ansar, who meet at 4:00 p.m. on the same pitch. Kuwait Club and Seeb are tied atop Group B with 4 points each, sharing the same goal tally (4 scored, 3 conceded).

Al-Arabi, currently second in Group C with 4 points, must win their match to move forward, as any other result would see them eliminated from the tournament for the second straight season.

The battle for the best second-placed team is heating up in Group A, where Ten Asir of Turkmenistan and Al-Shabab of Oman both have 6 points and meet today to decide the group winner.

Kuwait Club’s path depends on the Seeb vs. Al-Ansar result: a draw or Seeb loss means any win will suffice, but if the Omani team wins, Kuwait Club must win with a higher goal difference than Seeb. Injuries to key players Saud Al-Hoshan and Yousef Nasser have added further challenges for the team.

Meanwhile, Al-Arabi is under pressure to claim all three points, as anything less will end its hopes of advancing in the competition.

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff