Kuwait Emir Cup for Al-Qadisiyah or Al-Salmiya?

Qadsia SC aims to become the sole leader in the Kuwait Emir Cup football tournament when they face Salmiya SC tomorrow, Tuesday, in the final of the 62nd edition at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium.

Qadsia currently shares the leadership with Kuwait SC and Al-Arabi, each having 16 titles. Meanwhile, Salmiya will be looking to stand on the highest step of the podium for the third time.

On their way to the final, Qadsia defeated Al-Yarmouk 2-1 in the round of 16, then overcame Al-Fahaheel with the same score after extra time in the quarter-finals, and their traditional rival Al-Arabi 2-1 in the semi-finals.
As for Salmiya, they won on penalties twice, defeating Khaitan 4-2 in the round of 16 after a 1-1 draw, and Kazma 4-3 in the quarter-finals after a 4-4 draw, before surpassing Al-Tadhamon 3-0 in the semi-finals.

The two finalists have met four times this season in the league, with Qadsia winning twice and drawing twice. Both teams have entered domestic training camps to increase their focus before the awaited test, which represents a lifeline for both to save their season.

Qadsia enters the match following a 1-1 draw with Al-Arabi in the league. Their coaching staff, led by Mohammad Mashaan, who joined from coaching Salmiya in January, is focusing on the players’ physical condition after the significant effort exerted in the last match, playing almost an hour with 10 players following the expulsion of goalkeeper Khalid Al-Rashidi.

Veteran star Bader Al-Mutawa (39) is aiming to participate in the match after having suffered a muscle injury in the same game.

On the other hand, Salmiya lost to Kuwait SC 3-0 in their last match after their Croatian coach Ante Mise decided to rest most of the key players in preparation for the final.

The team is certainly feeling optimistic after confirming the recovery of Brazilian defense captain Alex Lima from an injury that has kept him off the field for a while.

It is worth mentioning that Kuwait SC won last season’s title after defeating Kazma 3-0 in extra time.