Bahrain set for tough friendlies

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s senior men’s national football team have kicked off their local training programme ahead of their upcoming international friendly matches in the coming week.

The Bahrainis are gearing up to face their counterparts from Kyrgyzstan tomorrow and the Philippines on Tuesday next week.

The games are scheduled to be held at Shaikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Stadium at Muharraq Club in Arad with 7pm kick-offs.

Both the Kyrgyzstan and Philippine teams have already arrived ahead of the fixtures.

The two visiting national sides will also face off in a friendly on Sunday at Al Ahli Club Stadium in Zinj.

Bahrain are using these friendlies as part of their preparations for next month’s start to their continental qualification campaign for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

They will also be competing in the next edition of the AFC Asian Cup in Doha in January of next year.

Bahrain head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi has begun his daily practices, with 33 players called up for the ties.

The national team roster features four of the squad’s overseas-based professionals, including Ali Madan from Ajman Club in the UAE, Mohammed Marhoon from Kuwait SC in Kuwait, Abdulla Yusuf from FK Mlada Boleslav in the Czech Republic and Moses Atede from Kedah Darul Aman FC in Malaysia.

The local-based talents are Ahmed Bughammar, Mohammed Adel, Mohammed Al Hardan, Sayed Dhiya Saeed and Mahdi Humaidan from defending national league champions Al Khaldiya; Hussain Al Ekri, Hazza Ali, Mohammed Abdulqayoom, Jassim Al Shaikh, Komail Al Aswad, Ali Hassan Saeed and Abdulaziz Khaled from Riffa; Salem Omar, Sayed Mohammed Jaafar, Amine Hasan, Hamza Al Juban, Waleed Al Hayyam, Abdulla Al Khalasi, Mubarak Mohammed and Ahmed Al Sherooqi from Muharraq; Ebrahim Al Khattal from Manama; Ebrahim Luthfallah and Abdulla Al Hashash from Al Ahli; Hussain Abdulkareem from Isa Town; Hamad Al Doseri and Salem Hussain from Al Shabab; Mohammed Abdulwahab and Ebrahim Al Wali from Al Najma; and Jassim Khelaif from East Riffa.

Aside from these upcoming tune-ups, the nationals are also set to play an international friendly against Asian powerhouses Australia in January, as part of their final lead-up to the Asian Cup.

The game will be played in Dubai on 6 January, just a few days before the continental showcase kicks off in Doha on 12 January.

For the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Bahrain will play directly in the second of five qualification rounds.

They are in a competitive Group H along with the UAE, and either Yemen or Sri Lanka and Nepal or Laos. For the AFC Asian Cup, Bahrain are in Group E in the tournament’s preliminary round along with South Korea, Malaysia and Jordan.