BAGHDAD (Interstat) — Al Shorta SC visits Al Karkh SC on Thursday, May 28, in an Iraqi League matchup that pits a title contender against a side seeking consistency.

Al Shorta enters with a 3-0 victory over Al Karkh from their Nov. 20 meeting, but the visitors have stumbled recently. They fell 2-0 at Erbil on May 20, snapping a strong run. Before that defeat, Al Shorta posted three consecutive wins: 2-0 at Diyala FC on May 15, 3-0 at Newroz on May 5, and a 2-2 draw at Naft Maysan on April 26. Their form over the past month includes a 3-1 win at Al Qassim SC on April 22 and a 4-1 victory at Amanat Bagdad SC on April 8, though they lost 2-1 at Al Zawra’a SC on April 13.

Al Karkh, playing at home, brings momentum from a 5-2 win at Al Najaf SC on May 20. That result broke a streak of two draws: a 2-2 tie at Al Gharaf SC on May 15 and a 2-1 win at Amanat Bagdad SC on May 11. Before that, Al Karkh earned back-to-back victories — 3-1 at Zakho on May 6 and 3-1 over Al Kahrabaa SC on April 27 — but had lost 1-0 to Erbil on May 2. Defensive struggles have been apparent: Al Karkh lost 3-0 to Al Zawra’a on April 18 and 2-0 to Diyala FC on April 13.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 2-1 victory for Al Shorta.

Al Shorta’s next match is at home against Al Mina’a SC on June 2. Al Karkh travels to Al Talaba SC on June 1.