Kuwait and Iraq drew 2-2 in Friendlies. The fixture is part of the Friendlies 3 stage in the 2018 season. The full-time result capped a Kuwait vs Iraq meeting in Friendlies with detailed post-match statistics available on Sportra. This match centre covers lineups, live events, player ratings, team statistics, xG, head-to-head history, and related news for Kuwait and Iraq. On Sportra you can view xG, lineups, match statistics, events, player ratings, predictions, head-to-head history, and related news for this fixture.
FriendliesRecorded meetings: 0 (available previous meetings, not necessarily all-time).
Kuwait and Iraq drew 2-2 in Friendlies. The fixture is part of the Friendlies 3 stage in the 2018 season. The full-time result capped a Kuwait vs Iraq meeting in Friendlies with detailed post-match statistics available on Sportra. This match centre covers lineups, live events, player ratings, team statistics, xG, head-to-head history, and related news for Kuwait and Iraq. On Sportra you can view xG, lineups, match statistics, events, player ratings, predictions, head-to-head history, and related news for this fixture.
Friendlies
Despite the rumors about a possible departure from Al Hilal, Karim Benzema confirmed he'll be staying at the Saudi Pro League club. Karim Benzema put an end to speculation about his future at the Saudi Pro League, confirming he has no intention of leaving his club this summer. “I’m gonna stay at Al Hilal,” the French forward said, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, closing the door on a transfer saga that had picked up steam in recent days. The rumors gained traction after reports from Diario AS and Sky Sports indicated Benzema was negotiating a possible contract termination with the club, with the 38-year-old reportedly out of manager Simone Inzaghi’s plans. Tension appeared to boil over when Benzema showed visible frustration at being substituted during the Saudi Pro League opener win over Al Faisaly, despite having scored in the match. However, Inzaghi later played down any rift, saying he understood his striker’s desire to play every minute given his own playing career. The uncertainty around Benzema’s situation had also fueled a far more sensational storyline, with reports floating Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami as a possible destination. However, with Benzema now publicly committing to stay, that scenario appears to be off the table. 🚨🔵⚪️ Karim Benzema on his future: “I’m gonna stay at Al Hilal”. pic.twitter.com/CrlFzzFWPb— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 20, 2026 Ollie Watkins turns down Saudi Arabia With Benzema’s future uncertain, Al Hilal had reportedly identified Ollie Watkins as his potential replacement, but that pursuit has also stalled, at least from Aston Villa’s side. The Saudi club had submitted an official €45 million bid for the striker, according to Fabrizio Romano, and Watkins himself was reportedly open to making the switch. Villa, however, held firm, rejecting multiple approaches and instead moving to tie their striker down further, offering him a lucrative new contract to fend off the interest and keep one of Unai Emery’s most important players at Villa Park heading into another Champions League campaign. With Benzema now publicly committing to stay, that search for a replacement striker no longer appears necessary, at least for the time being. His comments effectively take Watkins off Al Hilal’s radar and close the book on one of the more talked-about storylines of the Saudi transfer window.
Cristiano Ronaldo could make his season debut for Al Nassr in the match against Al Riyadh for the Saudi Pro League. Whether Cristiano Ronaldo actually takes the field on Friday for his Al Nassr’s season debut remains uncertain, but he’s at least back in the conversation. The 41-year-old has yet to make an appearance this season after missing his team opening two matches following his preseason absence. He returned to individual training earlier this week, and while there’s no guarantee he starts, Ronaldo has been included in Ange Postecoglou’s 21-man squad list for the trip to face Al Riyadh, opening the door for him to feature in some capacity even if it’s not from the opening whistle. Ahead of the match, Al Riyadh coach Mauricio Dulac had nothing but praise for the possibility of facing him. “When we talk about Ronaldo, we are talking about a legend, someone who has made history in football and in the world of football. If Cristiano plays against us, it will be a pleasure for everyone,” Dulac said during a press conference. Al Nassr head into the match on a two-match winning run, having opened the Saudi Pro League with a 3-0 win over Al Fateh and cruising 4-1 past Al Diriyah in the King’s Cup. For Al Riyadh, who dropped their season opener 4-2 to Al Ettifaq, the match carries extra weight as they’ll need to win to get their campaign back on track. That’s a wrap on preparations 🎬💛Matchday next ⏭️ pic.twitter.com/2Vidi3Bu7s— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) August 20, 2026 Dulac struck an optimistic tone about the challenge ahead. “They are a very good team with an extremely strong squad and many stars. But I think that is also very good for us, because when we play against good players and very strong teams, we raise our own level as well,” the Brazilian coach added. Postecoglou won’t have his full squad available While Ronaldo’s potential return would give Postecoglou a major boost, it comes as Al Nassr also deals with six absences for the Al Riyadh match. The missing players are Saad Al Nasser, Samu Costa, Mohamed Simakan, Mohamed Maran, Raghed Al Najjar, and Abdulrahman Ghareeb. Per Arriyadiyah, the absences of Costa and Simakan in particular are tied to squad management rather than injury, with Postecoglou opting to rest the Portugal midfielder and France defender due to fatigue after a congested start to the season.
Steven Rosen’s company liquidated after high court hearingPrevious owner claims it is owed fees from 2024 saleThe Sheffield United co-chair, Steven Rosen, is facing disqualification as a director by the English Football League after the company through which he bought the club two years ago, COH Sports Bidco Limited, was liquidated.The winding-up order issued by the high court in London is the result of a dispute between United’s owners and their predecessor, Prince Abdullah’s United World, which claims it is owed £35m by Rosen and his business partner Helmy Eltoukhy in unpaid fees resulting from the £110m sale of the Championship club in December 2024. Continue reading...
Barcelona’s final pre-season friendly may have offered Hansi Flick an important clue ahead of the La Liga opener against Elche.According to Mundo Deportivo, summer signing Karim Adeyemi is currently...
Al Hilal cannot make an offer for Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins until Karim Benzema’s future is resolved. The post Not Until – Aston Villa Attacker Faces Wait Over Potential Villa Park Exit appeared first on Inside Futbol | Latest Football News, Transfer Rumours & Articles.
Roony Bardghji’s story took a drastic turn in recent days, and the Barcelona player will not be leaving the club this summer.The club’s decision to sign Karim Adeyemi and Anthony Gordon left no do...
Tap a headline to view metadata and excerpt fields in Sportra, then use the article website button to continue on the original publisher page.
Despite the rumors about a possible departure from Al Hilal, Karim Benzema confirmed he'll be staying at the Saudi Pro League club. Karim Benzema put an end to speculation about his future at the Saudi Pro League, confirming he has no intention of leaving his club this summer. “I’m gonna stay at Al Hilal,” the French forward said, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, closing the door on a transfer saga that had picked up steam in recent days. The rumors gained traction after reports from Diario AS and Sky Sports indicated Benzema was negotiating a possible contract termination with the club, with the 38-year-old reportedly out of manager Simone Inzaghi’s plans. Tension appeared to boil over when Benzema showed visible frustration at being substituted during the Saudi Pro League opener win over Al Faisaly, despite having scored in the match. However, Inzaghi later played down any rift, saying he understood his striker’s desire to play every minute given his own playing career. The uncertainty around Benzema’s situation had also fueled a far more sensational storyline, with reports floating Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami as a possible destination. However, with Benzema now publicly committing to stay, that scenario appears to be off the table. 🚨🔵⚪️ Karim Benzema on his future: “I’m gonna stay at Al Hilal”. pic.twitter.com/CrlFzzFWPb— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 20, 2026 Ollie Watkins turns down Saudi Arabia With Benzema’s future uncertain, Al Hilal had reportedly identified Ollie Watkins as his potential replacement, but that pursuit has also stalled, at least from Aston Villa’s side. The Saudi club had submitted an official €45 million bid for the striker, according to Fabrizio Romano, and Watkins himself was reportedly open to making the switch. Villa, however, held firm, rejecting multiple approaches and instead moving to tie their striker down further, offering him a lucrative new contract to fend off the interest and keep one of Unai Emery’s most important players at Villa Park heading into another Champions League campaign. With Benzema now publicly committing to stay, that search for a replacement striker no longer appears necessary, at least for the time being. His comments effectively take Watkins off Al Hilal’s radar and close the book on one of the more talked-about storylines of the Saudi transfer window.
Cristiano Ronaldo could make his season debut for Al Nassr in the match against Al Riyadh for the Saudi Pro League. Whether Cristiano Ronaldo actually takes the field on Friday for his Al Nassr’s season debut remains uncertain, but he’s at least back in the conversation. The 41-year-old has yet to make an appearance this season after missing his team opening two matches following his preseason absence. He returned to individual training earlier this week, and while there’s no guarantee he starts, Ronaldo has been included in Ange Postecoglou’s 21-man squad list for the trip to face Al Riyadh, opening the door for him to feature in some capacity even if it’s not from the opening whistle. Ahead of the match, Al Riyadh coach Mauricio Dulac had nothing but praise for the possibility of facing him. “When we talk about Ronaldo, we are talking about a legend, someone who has made history in football and in the world of football. If Cristiano plays against us, it will be a pleasure for everyone,” Dulac said during a press conference. Al Nassr head into the match on a two-match winning run, having opened the Saudi Pro League with a 3-0 win over Al Fateh and cruising 4-1 past Al Diriyah in the King’s Cup. For Al Riyadh, who dropped their season opener 4-2 to Al Ettifaq, the match carries extra weight as they’ll need to win to get their campaign back on track. That’s a wrap on preparations 🎬💛Matchday next ⏭️ pic.twitter.com/2Vidi3Bu7s— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) August 20, 2026 Dulac struck an optimistic tone about the challenge ahead. “They are a very good team with an extremely strong squad and many stars. But I think that is also very good for us, because when we play against good players and very strong teams, we raise our own level as well,” the Brazilian coach added. Postecoglou won’t have his full squad available While Ronaldo’s potential return would give Postecoglou a major boost, it comes as Al Nassr also deals with six absences for the Al Riyadh match. The missing players are Saad Al Nasser, Samu Costa, Mohamed Simakan, Mohamed Maran, Raghed Al Najjar, and Abdulrahman Ghareeb. Per Arriyadiyah, the absences of Costa and Simakan in particular are tied to squad management rather than injury, with Postecoglou opting to rest the Portugal midfielder and France defender due to fatigue after a congested start to the season.
Steven Rosen’s company liquidated after high court hearingPrevious owner claims it is owed fees from 2024 saleThe Sheffield United co-chair, Steven Rosen, is facing disqualification as a director by the English Football League after the company through which he bought the club two years ago, COH Sports Bidco Limited, was liquidated.The winding-up order issued by the high court in London is the result of a dispute between United’s owners and their predecessor, Prince Abdullah’s United World, which claims it is owed £35m by Rosen and his business partner Helmy Eltoukhy in unpaid fees resulting from the £110m sale of the Championship club in December 2024. Continue reading...
Barcelona’s final pre-season friendly may have offered Hansi Flick an important clue ahead of the La Liga opener against Elche.According to Mundo Deportivo, summer signing Karim Adeyemi is currently...
Al Hilal cannot make an offer for Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins until Karim Benzema’s future is resolved. The post Not Until – Aston Villa Attacker Faces Wait Over Potential Villa Park Exit appeared first on Inside Futbol | Latest Football News, Transfer Rumours & Articles.
Roony Bardghji’s story took a drastic turn in recent days, and the Barcelona player will not be leaving the club this summer.The club’s decision to sign Karim Adeyemi and Anthony Gordon left no do...
Tap a headline to view metadata and excerpt fields in Sportra, then use the article website button to continue on the original publisher page.
