KUWAIT CITY, Jan 2: The twelfth round of the Zain Premier League concludes today with two matches. In the first encounter, Al-Nasr will face Khaitan at Ali Sabah Al-Salem Stadium at 5:35 pm, while the Kuwait club will take on Al-Shabab at Mohammed Al-Hamad Stadium at 8:00 pm.

Kuwait club (27 points) is eager to regain its winning streak after being held to a draw by Al-Salmiya in the last round (2-2), resulting in a loss of two crucial points and a drop to third place in the league standings. The coach of the Tunisian team "Al-Abyad," Nabil Maaloul, recognizes the critical nature of the situation and the necessity of avoiding any further point loss to prevent the gap from widening with the top two teams. Such a scenario could jeopardize their chances of securing the title for the third consecutive season. In recent training sessions, Maaloul emphasized capitalizing on opportunities and organizing the team's defensive strategies, addressing the issues that led to the draw against Al-Salmiya.

On the other side, Al-Shabab (11 points) is determined to halt the recent point losses, having failed to secure a victory or draw in the last four rounds. The team aims to restore its reputation against Kuwait club, a team it defeated 4-1 in the initial stages of the competition.

In the second clash, Al-Nasr (22 points) aims to replicate its earlier victory over Khaitan, having triumphed with two goals in the first encounter. Simultaneously, the team seeks to maintain its pursuit of the leading teams and compete for an elevated position in the league.

Al-Nasr's coach, Zaher Al-Adwani, hopes to build on the positive results of the season, particularly in the last three matches, where they secured 7 points by defeating Al-Shabab and Kazma 1-0 and 2-0, respectively, and drawing 1-1 with Al-Salmiya. These results have placed Al-Annabi in the fourth position.

Conversely, Khaitan's Romanian coach, Florin Matrock, is eager to secure his first victory with the team and accumulate nine points. Since taking over from Ibrahim Obaid, Matrock has faced three defeats, losing to Al-Arabi 0-4, Al-Fahaheel by a single goal, and Al-Qadsia in a clean sweep.

By Hassan Musa

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff