The second group – It is time to disengage

Group B, after two rounds, has not revealed any of their secrets except the Omani’s unofficial forefront and a race among Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain to win the Golden Card.

The confrontation between Oman and Saudi Arabia on the ground of Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Duhail and the meeting of Bahrain and Kuwait at the Khalifa International Stadium at 8:00 p.m. on Monday will reveal all the secrets and resolve all the clash.

The Saudi team, led by French coach Hervé Renard, is well aware that the task is not easy. He stressed at the press conference that the confrontation will be composed of a team with a strong motivation to stay in the tournament. Dutch coach Erwin Koeman confirmed the readiness of 23 players in his squad for the match.

A draw or win puts Oman in the next round directly. Even losing it may put them in the golden box, and this is linked to what will happen at Khalifa International Stadium. However, only winning will put the Saudi team in the next round and Renard has all the weapons that will enable them to win.

Saudi Arabia overtook Oman in all the games that brought them together in the Gulf tournaments until the 19th edition came which smiled for the Omanis, while the last encounter in the Gulf 23 ended with Oman’s 2-0 victory which qualified them for the Golden Square and a farewell for the Saudi Al-Akhdr from the Kuwaiti territory.

Khalifa International Stadium also hosts a difficult confrontation on the Bahraini and Kuwaiti sides in order to qualify for the next round, in the score of Al Azraq 3 points, while in the Red one point which means that the draw is not safe for Kuwait and not enough for Bahrain to qualify. For this, fans expect Thamer Enad and Portuguese Hélio Souza to attack.

A match remains difficult and complicated between two teams who are used to confrontation in the past years, the most recent meeting hosted by the city of Erbil in the West Asian Championship last August, in which the Bahraini Red excelled and continued his way to the podium.

It may not be the last happy Gulf encounter for Bahrain after losing in Gulf 21 6-1 in the third place match, but the Khalifa stadium remains completely different, and also is a continuation for both of them to compete in the Gulf Championships after facing each other 18 times exchanging the wins in it.