Bahrain ‘must win first game’
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Head coach Helio Sousa stressed yesterday the importance of Bahrain winning their opening game today in their Group E qualifying campaign for the AFC Asian Cup 2023. The nationals are scheduled to face Bangladesh in the first of three matches to be played in Kuala Lumpur.
They are also set to face off with group hosts Malaysia and Turkmenistan in the coming week, but Sousa underlined that his team is only looking ahead to locking horns with their upcoming opponents.
“We are mostly focused now on this first game,” Sousa said yesterday during his pre-match Press conference. “If we don’t win this first game, we will have many problems for the next ones. We have to think on this first one. The others, we will deal with them as they come.
“After this game will be another game to manage. But before that, all plans can go down the drain if we don’t get what we want in this first game.”
Bahrain’s match with Bangladesh is scheduled for a 12.15pm kick-off, Bahrain time, and it will be played at Bukit Jalil National Stadium in the Malaysian capital. Sousa said that his side is not underestimating their opponents, despite being the heavy favourites, as the Bahrainis are ranked 89th in the world while Bangladesh are 188th.
“Some teams, the value of them, it doesn’t have anything to do with their ranking at this moment,” said the Portuguese tactician.
“The teams are building up and their quality is not reflected in their ranking. We will face for sure a very competitive game tomorrow.” Sousa noted that “anything can happen” in this qualifying competition, which is being played in a single round-robin between the four teams in their group.
It was previously set to feature home-and-away matches, but due to the current circumstances with the COVID-19 pandemic, the teams will face each other just once, with all matches being played at a centralised venue.
“This was to be played home-and-away, and that kind of competition gives more conditions for the strongest team in the end to arrive first in the group,” he explained. “But in a closed competition like this one—three games, seven days—it is much more open. Anything can happen.
“Almost all the teams will depart with the same expectations, and to win the first game is very important. “We are expecting a very competitive game. Both teams will fight to win, and we must fight against that and try to conquer our opponents.”
Encounter Following today’s encounter, the Bahrainis play Malaysia on Saturday at 4pm, Bahrain time, before completing their qualifying campaign against Turkmenistan on Tuesday next week, again at 12.15pm, Bahrain time.
The 24-player Bahrain squad in Kuala Lumpur features goalkeepers Sayed Mohammed Jaafar, Sayed Shubbar Alwi and Ammar Mohammed; defenders Rashed Alhooti, Ahmed Abdulla, Waleed Al Hayyam, Ameen Denade, Ahmed Bughammar, Hamad Shamsan, Abbas Ayyad and Sayed Redha Isa; mid[1]fielders Ali Haram, Jassim Al Shaikh, Mahdi Abdullatif, Ammar Jaffar, Komail Alaswad, Abdulwahab Almalood, Ali Madan, Mohammed Jassim Marhoon, Ebrahim Al Khattal, Mahdi Humaidan and Saeed; and strikers Hashim Sayed Isa and Abdulla Yusuf.
There are 24 teams in all in this final round of qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup 2023. They have been divided into six groups, each of which is being played at a centralised venue.
All six group winners plus the five best runners-up will earn berths in the Asian Cup, which will be held next year at a yet-to-be-determine venue following the recent withdrawal of China as hosts. Bahrain are looking to secure their seventh appearance in the tournament proper.
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