Al-Qadsiya player makes a tackle during a match.

KUWAIT CITY, Feb 4: Al-Qadsiya will face a decisive match today when they host Qatar's Al-Arabi at 6:15 pm at Mohammed Al-Hamad Stadium in the fifth round of the Gulf Club Championship’s second group. At 8:15 pm, Al-Ettifaq of Saudi Arabia will face Bahrain's Al-Riffa in the same group.

Al-Qadsiya currently occupies second place in the group with five points, while Al-Arabi is at the bottom with just one point. Al-Ettifaq has already qualified for the semi-finals, sitting at the top of the group with 12 points. Al-Riffa, from Bahrain, holds third place with four points.

Al-Qadsiya can secure qualification today with a win over Al-Arabi, provided Al-Riffa loses. Any other result will delay the announcement of the second team to advance to the semi-finals, with the final decision set for the sixth and final round on February 18.

In its first-leg encounter, which ended in a 1-1 draw, Al-Qadsiya was denied a deserved victory after a controversial referee decision disallowed a valid goal, while Al-Arabi's goal came from a ball that crossed the field line. Other decisions from the referee negatively impacted Al-Qadsiya's performance.

Locally, Al-Qadsiya has been experiencing a period of inconsistency. The team managed to hand defending Zain Premier League champion Kuwait Club's first defeat this season but then drew 1-1 with bottom-placed Al-Yarmouk. The team suffered a tough 2-4 loss to traditional rival Al-Arabi, despite being 2-0 up at halftime. However, Al-Qadsiya bounced back, defeating Al-Arabi in the Super Cup semi-finals before narrowly losing the final to Kuwait Club on penalties (7-6, after a 1-1 draw). Recently, Al-Qadsiya secured a 2-1 win over Al-Salmiya in the league.

Despite these mixed results, Al-Qadsiya has shown strong performances, with Montenegrin coach Zeljko Petrovic making a clear impact. The team's strength has been bolstered by the inclusion of professional Algerian defenders Hussein Dhiri and Abdulrahman Al-Dhafiri, who were both registered in the Gulf list.

Al-Qadsiya will be without star player Eid Al-Rashidi, who underwent tests revealing a tear in his anterior muscle. The injury will require treatment for two to three weeks. Al-Rashidi is expected to travel to Dubai for therapeutic training.

Al-Arabi knows that it must win today and in its final match while hoping for an Al-Riffa loss or draw. It will be missing several key players, including Italian Marco Verratti, Spanish duo Wassim Qadari and Rodrigo Sanchez, French player Ishaq Al-Hajji, and Jordanian Yazan Al-Naimat.

The match will be officiated by an Omani refereeing crew led by referee Omar Al Yaqoubi, assisted by Nasser Al Busaidi, Hamoud Al Shaibi, and fourth official Saeed Al Muzaini. The video assistant referee (VAR) will be Saqr Al Zaabi from the UAE, with assistance from Hamad Al Ghafri of Oman.

By Hassan Mosa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff