Bahrain set for Bangkok camp

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s senior men’s national football team are set to hold an external training camp in Bangkok next month, during which they will play an international friendly match against their host counterparts. The tune-up is scheduled for May 31, the Bahrain Football Association announced yesterday.

It is part of the Bahrainis’ preparations for their qualifying matches for the AFC Asian Cup 2023. The nationals. are scheduled to kick off their latest training gathering on May 11 in Bahrain before flying to the Thai capital, according to a national team official.

During their Bangkok camp, they will also play a training game on May 24, in addition to the international friendly. The qualifiers are then scheduled for the second week of June. Bahrain are in Group E of Asian Cup qualifying along with Turkmenistan, Bangladesh and Malaysia.

The group’s games are set to be hosted in Kuala Lumpur, and they will be played over a single round on three matchdays on June 8, 11 and 14. The AFC Asian Cup is scheduled to kick off on June 16 next year in China. Bahrain are looking to secure their seventh appearance in the tournament proper.

They first appeared in 1988, and have qualified for the last five tournaments in 2004, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019. The Bahrainis’ best finish in the competition was fourth in 2004. They reached the last 16 in 2019, but did not make it past the group stage the other times.