Kuwait SC hold a heavy advantage in their head-to-head matches against Bahraini clubs in the AFC Cup, having won five of their seven encounters against clubs from the island. On the other hand, Wednesday’s clash is the first for Muharraq against any Kuwaiti club.

The Kuwait Premier League season gets underway in November, but Kuwait SC have had a successful run to the final of the Kuwait Emir Cup in September, beating Al Sahel SC, Khaitan, Kazma and Al Jahra to reach December’s final against archrivals Al Qadsia. 

Going into the penultimate challenge of the continental campaign, Muharraq have had a disappointing start to their league campaign, finding themselves bottom of the table with one point from three games, having started with a draw against Khalidiyah before losing back-to-back games against Riffa SC and East Riffa.

While big name signings led by former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel and Australian international defender Ryan McGowan stole the headlines in Kuwait City, it is homeboy Faisal Al Harbi who continues to make the difference. The 30-year-old playmaker contributed three goals and two assists in the 2021 AFC Cup, also creating a total of 11 chances for his teammates.

A common factor between the two West Zonal Finalists is losing their 2021 AFC Cup top scorer.

Muharraq’s Ismael Abdullatif impressed in the group stage, netting twice before making a summer switch to Khalidiyah, while Kuwait SC’s summer spree saw them replace Tunisian forward Ahmed Akaichi with DR Congo’s Dieumerci Mbokani (below, left) despite the former’s tally of four goals in the continental competition.

In the absence of Abdullatif, it is his fellow Bahraini international Abdulwahab Al Malood (above, right) who will be tasked with creating the magic up front for Muharraq. Al Malood leads his side’s assists charts with four goals created and has overall created four times as many chances as any of his teammates this campaign (16).

Muharraq Club (BHR) v Kuwait SC (KUW)
Venue: Sheikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Stadium, Muharraq
Kick-off: 19:00 hours (UTC+3)