All eyes are on the Baghdad derby between Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and Al-Shorta, in a match that carries historical and numerical significance. Looking back at the last five direct encounters between the two teams, there is a relative advantage for Al-Shorta in recent results, with draws occurring on two occasions.

In the current season, the first leg of the first phase ended in a 1-1 draw at Diyala Stadium, in a match that witnessed clear competitiveness and a sharing of points between the two poles.

In the previous season, Al-Shorta prevailed both home and away; they clinched the first leg with a 2-1 victory, before repeating their dominance in the second leg with a wide 4-0 win, one of the most notable results in the teams' encounters in recent years.

In the season before that, the two teams met in the Iraq Cup final, with Al-Shorta emerging as the champion after a 1-0 victory over Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, while the second league meeting that season ended in a 1-1 draw.

This tally includes two league wins for Al-Shorta last season, a draw in the first leg of this season, in addition to Al-Shorta's victory in the cup final and another draw in the second leg of the league two seasons ago, giving 'The Harp' a morale boost ahead of the derby. However, it does not negate the fact that Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya enters the current summit as the leader and is driven by a series of positive results, making the encounter open to all possibilities and governed by fine details within the green rectangle.