Congolese striker Nisskins Kipano celebrates scoring all three goals.

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 1: Qadsia departs today for Bahrain to face Al-Sitra on Tuesday in the third round of Group A of the Gulf Champions League at Hamad City Stadium.

The Kuwaiti side currently sits fourth in the group after losses to Iraq’s Zakho (1-3) and UAE’s Al Ain (0-1), while Al-Sitra holds third place with one point. Zakho leads with four points, and Al Ain tops the group with six.

The team’s morale has been boosted by a 3-0 victory over Al-Tadamon in the seventh round of the Zain Premier League, ending a tough run that included five winless matches across domestic and regional competitions. Recent results included losses to Kuwait (1-2) and Kazma (0-1), a 0-0 draw against Al-Salmiya, and defeats to Al Ain and Zakho.

The league win raised Qadsia’s points total to 11, placing it temporarily in second place, just behind Kuwait Club (13 points), which has two games in hand.

Congolese striker Nisskins Kipano celebrated scoring all three goals, highlighting the team’s fighting spirit.

However, Qadsia faces multiple challenges, including underperforming foreign players and injuries to key squad members, such as Mubarak Al-Faneni, Abdullah Mataw, Jassim Al-Matar, and Eid Al-Rashidi. Additionally, disciplinary issues have hit the squad: Abdulaziz Wadi and coach Nabil Maaloul received four-match suspensions, and Libyan Mohamed Soula was banned for eight matches for biting Al-Salmiya’s Brazilian player Alex Lima.

These difficulties have kept Qadsia out of title contention for ten seasons, and if the current situation continues, the team risks relegation to the first division for the first time in its history.

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff