A file photo of players preparing for action.

KUWAIT CITY, Jan 5: Al-Qadsia will face off against Bahraini side Al-Manama at 7:30 pm today in Manama, as part of the fourth round of Group Two in the West Asian League Basketball Championship for the Gulf region "Super League."

Al-Qadsia, currently in second place with 5 points—tied with Qatari team Al-Arabi—will look to repeat its victory over Al-Manama, having previously won 90-84 in October in Kuwait. A win today would bring them closer to qualifying for the second round. Meanwhile, Al-Manama ranked third with 4 points, has a chance to surpass Al-Qadsia and temporarily move to the group's top.

Under the tournament’s structure, the top two teams from each group qualify for the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the first-place team faces the fourth, while the second-place team plays against the third, with the matchups being decided in a "play-off" format over three games. The winner of two out of three games advances to the final, where the series is played in a best-of-five format, and the team that wins three matches will be crowned champion.

Coach Anthony Stebbing of Al-Qadsia will rely on a strong lineup, including key players such as Abdulaziz Al-Humaidi, Mohammed Ashkanani, Abdul Mohsen Al-Moussawi, Nawaf Al-Enezi, Rashed Al-Rabah, and Abdullah Al-Saeed, as well as foreign professionals David Elono and Tomislav Sobjic. On the other hand, Manama’s coach, Cypriot Linos Gavriel, will look to motivate his team to bounce back from losses to Al-Qadsia and Al-Arabi of Qatar. He will count on a balanced squad of local players, including Hassan Norouz, Amjad Hassan, Hassan Kazma, and Americans Clint Chapman, Tony Carr, and Avillon Locke.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff