Kuwait secured a crucial point in a 1-1 draw against Jordan, while Iraq edged Oman 1-0 on Thursday.
Kuwait fell behind after 14 minutes to Moussa Al Tamari’s opener but took advantage of the France-based striker’s injury in the second half with Al Sulaiman equalising from the spot two minutes into time added on.
While the draw was a morale booster, head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi knows his team will need to work harder against Iraq at the Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium as Kuwait bid to seal a place in the FIFA World Cup for the second time in their history.
With Iraq on a high after opening their campaign with a victory, Kuwait will have to maximise home ground advantage to stop their West Asian rivals at the Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium.
It will be the teams’ first competitive meeting in a decade but Kuwait lost their two most recent encounters against their West Asian rival – going down 2-1 and 1-0 in international friendlies.
There was, however, a blow for Iraq in their opener with head coach Jesus Casas likely to be without goalscorer Ayman Hussein, who required hospitalisation after suffering an injury against Oman while fatigue might also be an issue.
“We have four days left before the match against Kuwait and they are not enough to help the players with the physical factor, but we have 26 players and alternatives to compensate for those who are exhausted,” said Casas, who is looking to steer Iraq to the FIFA World Cup Finals for only the second time.
In the possible absence of Hussein, the Spanish tactician will have to rely on forward Mohanad Ali while Ali Jasim is another outlet for goals.
