Kuwait Club players defend as an opponent prepares to shoot the ball.

MUSCAT, Feb 18: The 41st Gulf Handball Championship for Cup Champions Clubs continues at the Sultan Qaboos Complex Hall in Muscat, Oman, with two crucial fifth-round matches in Group 2 set to take place today.

At 3:00 PM, Dibba Al-Hisn (UAE) will take on Al-Arabi (Qatar), while at 5:00 pm; Kuwait Club will face off against Oman, the tournament hosts, in a pivotal encounter.

The championship follows a single-round league system, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals ("Golden Square"), scheduled for next Saturday.

Kuwait Club lost its opening match to Al-Arabi (33-34) but bounced back with a 34-22 victory over Dibba Al-Hisn. Meanwhile, Oman defeated Dibba Al-Hisn (29-26) in the first round but fell to Al-Arabi (20-30) in its most recent match.

Both Kuwait Club and Oman currently share the same two-point tally, but Kuwait  Club holds a superior goal difference (+11) compared to Oman (-7). This means that Kuwait Club only needs a win or a draw in today’s match to secure a semi-final spot, joining group leader Al-Arabi (4 points) in the next stage.

Kuwait Club prepared for the tournament with an external training camp in Doha, Qatar, where it played two friendly matches against Al-Duhail and Qatar SC. Additionally, the team strengthened its roster by signing Shadi Khalil from Zamalek (Egypt) to boost its campaign in the Gulf Championship.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff