Bahrain open U23 qualifiers bid tonight against Palestine

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s under-23 Olympic football team take on Palestine tonight in their opening match of the Group D qualifiers for the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024.

The match is scheduled for a 6.30pm kick-off at Shaikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Stadium at Muharraq Club in Arad. Speaking in his pre-game Press conference, Bahrain’s Olympic team head coach Dario Basic highlighted the importance of this opening fixture, and said that the home side will be facing a formidable opponent in the Palestinians.

Basic also expressed his satisfaction with the level of the under-23 squad and called on them to take advantage of this opportunity to stand out in the competition.

Bahrain’s match tonight will be followed by a late fixture between Japan and Pakistan, scheduled for a 9.30pm kick-off at the same venue.

Following today’s matches, the four teams will return to the pitch on Saturday, with the Bahrainis playing the Pakistanis followed by the Palestinians taking on the Japanese.

The last matchday will be on Tuesday next week, when Bahrain and Japan face off, and Palestine and Pakistan lock horns.

There are 11 groups in all in the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024 qualifiers, with each group being held at a centralised venue. Following a single round-robin, the 11 group winners and four best second-placed teams qualify for the AFC U23 Asian Cup, which will be held in Doha.

They join hosts Qatar, who have received automatic qualification, to form a cast of 16. The tournament is scheduled to be played between 15 April and 3 May, 2024.

Bahrain have qualified just once in the previous five editions of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup.

That was in the 2020 event held in Thailand, where they did not make it past the group stage. Meanwhile, the Olympic team welcomed BFA vice-president His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Ali bin Isa Al Khalifa during one of their final training sessions, held at Al Ahli Club Stadium in Mahooz.

HH Shaikh Khalifa spoke with the team’s coaching staff and players, and highlighted the importance of this qualifying competition.

He wished the team all the success in their upcoming games.