Three anticipated matches in the ninth round of the Iraqi Stars League on Thursday

Three crowd-attended matches will be played on Thursday evening as part of the ninth round of the Iraqi Stars League, spread across stadiums in Duhok, Maysan and Baghdad, with teams aiming to collect points and improve their positions in the table.

The matches kick off with Duhok hosting visitors Al-Zawraa at Duhok Stadium at 6:00 p.m.

Then Naft Maysan will meet Erbil at the Maysan International Stadium at 6:45 p.m.

The day's fixtures conclude with the capital derby between Al-Talaba and Al-Shorta at Al-Madina Stadium in Baghdad at 8:30 p.m.

The round's matches carry particular importance amid the tightening competition at the top, with teams looking to use this round to make up for earlier setbacks and improve their standing before the season continues.

Al-Karma leads the table with 20 points, followed by Al-Zawraa with 18 points and Erbil with 17 points.

The Iraqi Stars League standings after the end of the eighth round are as follows: Al-Karma first with 20 points, Al-Zawraa second with 18 points, Erbil third with 17 points, Nooroz fourth with 15 points, Al-Shorta fifth with 15 points, Al-Naft sixth with 15 points, and Al-Minaa seventh with 11 points.

The Iraqi Football Association had earlier decided in September to suspend league competitions starting from the ninth round because a number of club players were with the Iraqi national team participating in the 27th Gulf Cup, which concluded in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.