KUWAIT CITY, June 22: The Kuwait national football team is set to face the Pakistani national team in the second round of Group A at the South Asian Nations Association Gold Cup. The match will take place on Saturday at 1:00 pm at the Sri Kantirava Stadium in India. Kuwait currently holds the second position in the group with 3 points, having secured a 3-1 victory over Nepal. Khaled Muhammad Ibrahim, Shabib Al-Khalidi, and Muhammad Daham scored the goals for Kuwait from penalty kicks. On the other hand, Pakistan is currently in fourth place without any points, having suffered a 4-0 defeat against India.

While a victory for Kuwait in this match would secure their spot in the semi-finals of the knockout stage, there are concerns for Portuguese coach Roy Pinto regarding the team's overall performance. The first-round match against Nepal exposed several technical flaws and weaknesses, including a lack of control, slow pace, and a limited desire to score more goals despite their opponent's limited capabilities. Defensive errors also allowed the Nepalese team to threaten Kuwait's goal on multiple occasions.

The standout player for Kuwait has been Muhammad Daham, who showcased an impressive performance by scoring a goal and creating a genuine threat on the field. Shabib Al-Khalidi, Mubarak Al-Fenini, and Reda Hani also performed well, forming a strong attacking force alongside Eid Al-Rashidi. Pinto will heavily rely on this quartet to overcome the Pakistani national team and raise the team's level of play.

Although Pinto has not finalized the lineup for the match against Pakistan, it is expected that he will start with the same formation that ended the game against Nepal. This formation includes Abdul Rahman Kamil as the goalkeeper, Ali Abdul Rasoul, Khaled Muhammad Ibrahim, Hamad Al Harbi, and Abdullah Ammar in the defense line, Ahmed Al-Dhafiri, Reda Hani, Fawaz Ayed Al-Otaibi (if fully fit), Muhammad Daham, Shabib Al-Khalidi, and Eid Al-Rashidi in the attacking positions. It is possible that Mubarak Al-Fenini may replace Daham or Al-Rashidi during the match. In the other match of the group, the Indian national team aims to secure qualification by defeating Nepal to avoid complicated scenarios in the final round when they face Kuwait.