FOOTBALL – BAHRAIN’S Muharraq and Al Khaldiya are back in action tonight in the 2026-27 AFC Champions League (ACL) Two.
Muharraq will be the first taking to the pitch when they face off with Al Jazira FSC of the UAE at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Their Group B clash is scheduled for a 7pm kick-off, Bahrain time.
Khaldiya will then be playing Group A rivals Al Wahda FC, also from the UAE, at the National Stadium in Riffa, set for a late kick-off of 9.15pm this evening.
The ACL Two is the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) second-tier club competition. Khaldiya and Muharraq are the kingdom’s representatives for the second straight year, and they are part of a 32-team roster in this ongoing group stage.
Muharraq are coming off a 2-0 victory over Golgohar Sirjan SC of Iran in their previous assignment earlier this month held in Muscat, Oman. That earned them their first points of this year’s competition, and they currently sit in third place on their division’s table with three points. Jazira are top with four, followed by FC Arkadag of Turkmenistan who are also on three while Golgohar are last on one point.
Golgohar and Arkadag face off in today’s other Group B encounter at 4.45pm, Bahrain time, to be played in Hisor, Tajikistan.
Meanwhile, Khaldiya have so far scored just one point from their two games, while having previously suffered a tough 1-3 defeat against Kuwait SC in their last ACL Two outing.
They are at the bottom of their division’s standings while Wahda are first with a maximum six points. Kuwait are on three while PFC Nasaf of Uzbekistan are also on a single point but with a better goal difference than Khaldiya.
Nasaf host Kuwait in the Uzbek city of Qarshi in another clash beginning at 4.45pm, Bahrain time.
Ahead of the two fixtures, the Bahraini clubs participated in their pre-game technical meetings yesterday, where all matters relating to the matches were discussed and the uniforms confirmed for the competing teams.
The ACL Two’s group battles – being played in home-and-away format – continue until December 9 before moving into the round of 16, set between February 9 and 18 in 2027. The quarter-finals and semis are then set for March 2 to 18 and April 6 to 14, respectively, with the final pencilled in for May 15 next year.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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