FOOTBALL – BAHRAIN have stepped up their final preparations for their upcoming matches in the third round of Asian qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The kingdom’s senior men’s football national team are scheduled to face Indonesia and Saudi Arabia in their third and fourth assignments in Group C of this stage. They first host the Indonesians on Thursday at the National Stadium in Riffa, before travelling to Jeddah for their away game against the Saudis on October 15 at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.
Thursday’s contest is scheduled to kick off at 7pm.
The Bahrainis have been training under head coach Dragan Talajic over the past week and have welcomed to their practices several players who were on duty with their respective clubs. Among them are Ismaeel Abdullatif, Sayed Dhiya Saeed, Mohammed Humaidan, Komail Al Aswad, Mahdi Abduljabbar, Sayed Mahdi Baqer, and Ammar Mohammed, all of whom play with Bahrain champions Al Khaldiya; Mohammed Jassim Marhoon of Kuwait SC in Kuwait; and Ebrahim Alkhattal of Manama.
Both Khaldiya and Kuwait were in action in the AFC Champions League (ACL) Two, while Manama had a game in the Nasser bin Hamad Bahrain Premier League.
Bahrain continued their preparations yesterday with fitness sessions in the morning and then on-pitch drills in the evening under Talajic’s supervision at the Bahrain Football Association pitches in Riffa.
Indonesia, coached by South Korean Shin Tae-yong, are scheduled to arrive in the kingdom today, according to a national team official.
They have announced a 27-player squad for the game with Bahrain. It includes team captain Asnawi Mangkualam, Maarten Paes, Nadeo Argawinata, Ernando Ari, Jordi Amat, Calvin Verdonk, Shayne Pattynama, Pratama Arhan, Muhammad Ferarri, Rizky Ridho, Eliano Rejinders, Sandy Walsh, Mees Hilgers, Jay Idzes, Wahyu Prasetyo, Thom Haye, Marselino Ferdinan, Ricky Kambuaya, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Ivar Jenner, Ragnar Oratmangoen, Malik Risaldi, Rafael Struick, Witan Sulaeman, Dimas Drajad, Hokky Caraka, and Egy Maulana Vikri.
A number of members on the Indonesian squad play in Europe, including in England, Wales, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy; while others compete in the US, South Korea, and Australia.
Heading into Thursday’s clash, the Bahrainis are coming off an historic 1-0 away victory over Australia which was followed by a disheartening 0-5 home defeat against Japan.
The Indonesians, on the other hand, held Saudi to a 1-1 draw in Jeddah and Australia to a goalless stalemate at home.
Bahrain are currently third in Group C behind Japan and Saudi, while Indonesia follow in fourth, ahead of Australia and China.
In other Group C contests Thursday, Australia host China at Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, South Australia, starting at 12.10pm, Bahrain time; and Saudi play at home against Japan at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, kicking off at 9pm, also Bahrain.
Games in this phase of continental qualification continue until June of next year.
There are three groups in all. Group A features Iran, Qatar, Uzbekistan, the UAE, Kyrgyzstan and North Korea; while Group B is composed of South Korea, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine and Kuwait.
The top two finishers from each group will punch their tickets to the FIFA World Cup 2026. The third and fourth-placed squads will compete in a fourth round, where they will be divided into another two groups. There, the winners of each qualify for football’s global showpiece. The two second-placers will then square off in a home-and-away phase, with the victors marching forward to compete in an inter-continental play-off for one final available World Cup berth.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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