Bahrainis gear up for Japan clash

TDT | Manama                                                     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain have stepped up their preparations for their round of 16 match against Japan tomorrow in the AFC Asian Cup in Doha.

The Kingdom’s senior men’s national football team held a training session last night under head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi, who focused on the squad’s technical and tactical plans for their clash with the continental powerhouses.

Tomorrow’s game is scheduled for a 2.30pm kick-off, Bahrain time, at Al Thumama Stadium.

The pre-match technical meeting is scheduled to be held today at 10am, followed by Pizzi’s official pre-game Press conference at midday, where he will be joined by Bahrain’s influential defender Waleed Al Hayyam.

Bahrain advanced to the AFC Asian Cup’s knockout stage as winners of Group E in the preliminary phase with six points from two wins.

South Korea and Jordan also made it through from their pool, while Malaysia were eliminated.

The Japanese were runners-up in Group D, also with six points following victories against Vietnam and Indonesia and a loss to Iraq.

The winners of tomorrow’s clash will meet either Iran or Syria in the quarter-finals. The Iranians and Syrians also face off today at 7pm at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha.