Bahrain junior football team step up Arab Cup preparations

TDT | Manama                                                 

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s under-20 national football team are stepping up their preparations ahead of the Arab Cup, scheduled to kick off on July 20 in Abha, Saudi Arabia. Led by coach Adel Alnoaimi, the national squad will resume its training today, said team director Jomaa Al Mahmeed.

The team concluded their overseas training camp in Turkey last Thursday after a period of two weeks. During their stay in Istanbul, the nationals played three friendly matches, which they all won. They played a fourth game but it was abandoned due to turbulent weather at the 70th minute, with the score goalless.

There are 18 nations in all competing in the upcoming Arab Cup. They have been divided into six groups of three for the preliminary round. Bahrain are set to play in Group E alongside Djibouti and Tunisia. Group A features Iraq, Mauritania and hosts Saudi; Group B includes Yemen, Jordan and the UAE; Group C comprises Libya, Lebanon and Algeria; Group D features Somalia, Oman and Egypt; while Group F includes Palestine, Sudan and Morocco.

Meanwhile, the junior nationals will also take part in the qualifiers for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup 2023. Matches in Group B will be held in Bahrain from September 10 to 18. Joining the nationals in this division are Bhutan, Qatar, Nepal and Bangladesh. There are 44 teams overall in the qualification competition. They have been divided into 10 groups.

In each group, teams will play each other once at a centralised venue. The 10 group winners and the five best runners-up will qualify for the final tournament. Group A is to be held in Saudi Arabia, Group C in Laos, Group D in Jordan, Group E in Mongolia, Group F in Indonesia, Group G in Oman, Group H in Iraq, Group I in Tajikistan and Group J in Kyrgyzstan.