FOOTBALL – BAHRAIN’S Muharraq and Al Khaldiya both take on Emirati opposition tonight as they resume their respective campaigns in the 2026-27 AFC Champions League (ACL) Two.
Muharraq will be at home against Al Jazira FSC in a Group B clash while Khaldiya are in Abu Dhabi where they will take on Al Wahda FC in Group A.
Muharraq and Khaldiya both faced the same UAE teams last week and they each lost those fixtures.
Muharraq bowed to Jazira 2-4 but will be looking to bounce back at the National Stadium in Riffa tonight in their game kicking off at 9.15pm.
Khaldiya, on the other hand, fell 1-2 and will be looking to avenge their defeat against Wahda at Al Nahyan Stadium in the UAE capital. Their contest is scheduled to get underway at 7pm, Bahrain time.
Muharraq are currently third in the Group B table with three points from a lone win in their first three fixtures. Jazira are in first place with seven, followed by FC Arkadag of Turkmenistan with four and with Iran’s Golgohar Sirjan SC in last place with two points.
Khaldiya are still searching for their first victory in the competition and are in last place in Group A with one point, tied with PFC Nasaf of Uzbekistan, who have a better goal difference. Wahda top their standings with a perfect nine points from three wins, while Kuwait SC of Kuwait follow on six points.
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.
The preliminaries are being played in home-and-away format and they continue until December 9, with the top two teams from each of the eight groups 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.