An upcoming Gulf derby in the glow of the eighties … Iraq faces Kuwait in Basra

On the 27th of this month, attention will be focused on the upcoming friendly match between the teams of Iraq and Kuwait at the Basra International Stadium, which comes within the framework of the teams’ preparations for the double qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the AFC Asian Cup 2023.

The match between the two teams, both previously qualified for the World Cup, is one of the most prominent meetings at the Gulf and Arab levels. The derby is widely watched, especially the matches that bring together the two teams in the Gulf championships.

Historically, Kuwait and Iraq met in the Gulf Cup tournaments on 10 occasions. Kuwait won four times, Iraq four times, and tied twice. The last match they were brought together was in the group stage in the Gulf Cup 22 in which Kuwait won with a clean goal. Kuwait scored 14 goals in total, while Iraq scored 17 goals.

The last match between the two teams at all levels was a friendly match in 2018 which ended in a positive draw with two goals each.

The Slovenian coach Katanic, the coach of the Iraqi national team, summoned 23 players for this match, while the Kuwaiti coach of Kuwait, Carrasco, summoned 26 players who participated in the friendly Palestine match, which ended in favor of Palestine with a clean goal.

The upcoming friendly match coincides with the visit of the inspection team emanating from the 25th Gulf Cup Files Evaluation Committee to Basra, during the period from 25 to 28 January, with the aim of identifying the Iraqi Federation’s readiness to host the tournament to be held at the end of this year.

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