The Zakho team is preparing to host Al-Hudood at their home stadium tomorrow, Tuesday, at 6 PM, as part of the 33rd round of the Iraqi Stars League, in a match that brings together a team chasing the top positions and another struggling to stay in the Premier League.

Zakho, who had an exceptional start to the season under the leadership of Qatari coach Talal Al-Balushi, topped the standings in several rounds and established itself as a fierce competitor for the title. However, it has recently faced a significant setback, with its performance noticeably declining, having lost 3 of its last 5 matches, with only one draw and one win. This led the management to dismiss Al-Balushi and hire Iraqi coach Abdulghani Shahad.

Shahad began his mission with a draw in the previous round against Al-Zawraa, which restored some confidence to the team and the fans. Zakho enters this round occupying third place with 56 points and still holds hope of returning to the competition, provided they achieve consecutive victories and wait for other teams to falter.

On the other hand, Al-Hudood is experiencing its worst season in years, sitting at the bottom of the standings with only 17 points, making it the weakest team in the league in terms of points and overall performance. The team has been unable to achieve technical stability or record positive results that would keep it in contention, remaining at a high risk of relegation.

It is worth noting that the first leg match between the two teams ended with Zakho winning 3-1, giving them a psychological advantage ahead of the return match.

The northern team knows well that losing any points at this sensitive stage could officially eliminate them from the title race, while Al-Hudood realizes that every upcoming match is a matter of life or death given the complicated situation at the bottom of the standings.