Traditional rivals to lock horns in semifinal

Muscat: The rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait started in the first Gulf Cup in Bahrain in 1970 and is still going strong.

Both teams have enjoyed their share of supremacy over each other in the last 39 years, although Kuwait hold a better record in terms of the number of titles won in the regional competition - nine against Saudi Arabia's three.

Tonight, the two teams will face each other again, this time in the semifinal of the 19th Gulf Cup at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bushar, to renew their traditional rivalry.

Saudi Arabia have made it to four World Cup finals and have won three Asian Cup titles, while Kuwait made the finals of the World Cup once and won the continental title on one occasion.

The Saudi side are one of the two favourites, along with hosts Oman, to win the crown here. In comparison, Kuwait were the last team to secure a berth in this competition, after Fifa lifted a ban on the team just one week before the start of the Gulf Cup. However, Kuwait proved to be well-prepared for the contest and have been ably led by former player and head coach Mohammad Ebrahim. Apart from Saudi coach, Nasir Al Jawhar, Ebrahim is the only coach in the current line-up of teams to have turned out in this regional tournament as a player during his international career.

Kuwait earned promotion to the semifinals mainly due to their sound tactical moves, solid defence and their ability to go on fast counter-attacks led by Badr Al Mutawa and Ahmad Ajab.

The Saudis, on the other hand, boast quality players in their line-up like Yasir Al Qah'tani, Malek Mouaz, Ahmad Al Faridi and Abdo Atif to name a few.

Tonight's contest promises quite a fascinating duel as the rock-solid Kuwaiti defence will be up against the strongest forward line in the tournament. The Saudis have scored nine goals while conceding none so far.