RIYADH, Nov 20: In a decisive encounter at Prince Muhammad bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait is set to face Afghanistan at 8:00 pm. This match marks the second round of the first group competitions in the joint Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Asian Cup.

Kuwait needs a win to keep their hopes alive of advancing to the next round of the World Cup. In the previous week, the team faced a setback with a narrow defeat against India, failing to meet fan expectations. Anticipation is high for a more spirited performance in this crucial match.

Portuguese coach Rui Pinto, in recent training sessions, focused on rectifying mistakes made by some players that proved costly in the previous match. Expectations are that the lineup may witness significant changes, particularly addressing the underperformance of certain players in the first game.

The Kuwait delegation arrived in Dammam on Friday and underwent their first training session on the same day. To bolster the team, coach Rui Pinto decided to summon Kuwait club striker Ibrahim Kamil to fill the void left by the absence of Faisal Zayed (suspended), Ahmed Al-Zenki (enrolled in a military course), and Salman Al-Awadhi (injured).

Despite a lackluster performance in the first match, Kuwait has a favorable opportunity to secure three points today, given Afghanistan's loss by a significant margin of eight goals to one against the Qatari team in the opening round.

The Asian Football Confederation has appointed a team of referees from Jordan to officiate the match, with the assessment task assigned to Syrian Zakaria Kanal and Thai Tanperi Pairit as the match observers.

Khaled El Anzi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff