Defending champions Bahrain take on Qatar today in their second Group B match of the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup at the Al Minaa Olympic Stadium in Basra, Iraq, with head coach Helio Sousa saying that his team were fully focused on the game itself and not thinking too far ahead.
Both teams have three points each after the first round of group-stage matches over the weekend but three-time champions Qatar head the four-team table because of goal difference. Whichever team wins today will be assured of a slot in the semi-finals, with a game still in hand.
“We’re just focused on today’s match against Qatar,” Sousa, who coached Bahrain to their first-ever Gulf Cup title win in the tournament’s last edition in 2019, said at a press conference. “We’re taking it game-by-game at this stage. We’re not thinking about the title at this point, even though, obviously, we want to retain it.
“We know we’ll be up against a strong team in Qatar. We’re not going to take them lightly because we know that they have a good mix of experienced and young players who will present a difficult challenge for us.”
Having beaten the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 2-1 at the same venue last Saturday to get off to a perfect start in their title defence, Bahrain will be seeking to make it two wins in a row when they step on to the pitch this evening in the 30,000-seat stadium.
“Qatar have quality players so it won’t be easy,” Sousa, who played for his native Portugal in the 1990s, explained. “But we also have very good players. We got off to the best start that a team can have in any tournament, which is a win in our first match.
“So, we will try and play against Qatar according to our style. And we will need to be strong.”
Bahrain forward Jassim Al Shaikh, who sat alongside Sousa, added that his team would be targeting a win.
“We are determined to win,” Al Shaikh, who scored the second goal in Saturday’s victory over the UAE, said. “Starting the tournament on a successful note in the first match has given us the right momentum for this important game and we will try to build on it by playing positively.
“Coach Sousa and the technical staff have been meticulous during our training sessions and in their planning for this game and it is up to us to execute what we need to do well.”
Al Shaikh added that the Bahrain team was buoyed by the backing it was receiving from passionate football fans who had travelled in their hundreds to Basra and was grateful for the support back home in the kingdom.
Meanwhile, Qatar coach, Bruno Pinheiro who, like Sousa, is Portuguese, said facing Bahrain would not be easy for his team.
“This is a very important game for us and, also, a very difficult one because Bahrain are a very good team,” he explained. “They are a very balanced, experienced side and they will make it very tough for us.
“Helio and the coaching and technical staff have a very good equation with the Bahrain players and the team’s results over the past few years are proof of that. But we will be out to prove that we are just as good, if not better, and we will aim for victory.”
His words were echoed by Qatar goalkeeper, Meeshaal Barsham who said his team would press hard for a win.
“We know that we will be up against a very good team,” he said. “We know it will be a difficult game. But we will be seeking to win it.”
The second round of matches started yesterday with two-time champions Oman beating Yemen, who have never progressed beyond the group stage, 3-2, in a Group A match at the Basra International Stadium in the afternoon.
Later, three-time winners Iraq inflicted a surprise 2-0 defeat on three-time champions Saudi Arabia under lights at the same venue in the second Group A match to leave the group interestingly placed with the hosts and Oman both equal on four points and Saudi Arabia just one point adrift.
The Bahrain-Qatar match will kick off at 7.15pm.
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