Al-Qadsia players celebrate after beating Al-Shabab to qualify.

KUWAIT CITY, Jan 8: Two quarterfinal matches of the His Highness the Crown Prince Cup are scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday. In the first match, Kuwait Club will take on Burgan, while Al-Nasr will face Al-Tadamon in the second.

Kuwait Club looks to continue its title defense, buoyed by strong morale as the team leads the Zain Premier League undefeated, three points ahead of closest rival Al-Arabi.

The defending champion reached the quarterfinals after a 3-0 win over Khaitan in the preliminary round and will aim to halt Burgan’s ambitious run. Burgan qualified by defeating Al-Jahra 2-0 but faces a tough challenge due to the experience and performance gap, especially since the team has struggled in the First Division League and is out of promotion contention after ten rounds.

Al-Nasr and Al-Tadamon meet in the “Farwaniya Derby,” with both clubs aiming to advance further in the tournament.

Both teams have experienced inconsistent results in the Premier League, fighting to avoid relegation. Al-Nasr sits last with 4 points, just one behind 9th-placed Al-Tadamon. Al-Nasr earned its quarterfinal spot with a 1-0 victory over Al-Sahel, while Al-Tadamon upset Al-Salmiya 2-1.

Al-Qadsia is the final team to reach the quarterfinals, after defeating Al-Shabab 2-0 in the preliminary round at Sabah Al-Salem Stadium, setting up a matchup with Al-Arabi on Sunday.

The game marked the debut of Al-Qadsia’s Nigerian signing Iblai, who scored the opening goal. Even after playing the second half with ten men due to goalkeeper Ali Jrag’s red card for handling the ball outside the box in stoppage time of the first half, Al-Qadsia held on for a 2-0 win, bouncing back from a series of disappointing league results.

Algerian player Adam Rajem is close to joining Al-Qadsia for the remainder of the season, with negotiations in advanced stages. Meanwhile, Coach Nabil Maaloul confirmed that Egyptian player Mahmoud Kahraba has requested to terminate his contract with the club.

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff