Bahrain must be ready to step up to the challenge against whomever they face in the upcoming 26th Gulf Cup, says national team head coach Dragan Talajic.
The Croatian tactician was speaking after the draw for the prestigious eight-nation competition, held on Saturday night, which placed them in Group B for the preliminary round alongside Iraq, Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
Group A is composed of hosts Kuwait, Oman, the UAE and Qatar.
“Our group – as usual – is always a hard group,” Talajic told the GDN yesterday prior to national team training at the Bahrain Football Association pitches in Riffa, where they continued their preparations for their upcoming Fifa World Cup qualifiers this coming week-and-a-half.
The nationals take on China on Thursday and then Australia on Tuesday next week, both at home.
“There are eight teams in the Gulf Cup and both the groups are tough,” he added. “This is okay – if you want to be champions, you will have to win against anyone.”
Talajic noted that facing Saudi in the regional competition will be another major test, as they already have to face their Gulf neighbours in the ongoing third round of Asian qualifiers for the Fifa World Cup 2026.
The Bahrainis played to a goalless stalemate in their first meeting in Dammam last month. They will face the Saudis again in the return match at home in July of next year.
“I am not happy that we have to face Saudi in our group – we already have one more game with them in World Cup qualification,” Talajic said.
He added: “We will have plenty of time to think about our preparations for the Gulf Cup. For now, we are only focused on our game with China, and then step by step against Australia.”
The Gulf Cup, the region’s most prestigious football tournament, is scheduled to be held from December 21 to January 3 in Kuwait City.
The Bahrainis open their campaign against the Saudis on December 22, and then face Iraq in a Christmas Day game on December 25. They complete their preliminary round campaign against Yemen on December 28.
All three matches are set to take place at Kuwait City’s Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium.
The top two sides in each group at the end of the single round-robin will move on to the semi-finals. The winners of those games will then play for the coveted title.
Bahrain have won the Gulf Cup crown just once, back in the 2019 edition when they defeated Saudi in the final.
Meanwhile, Bahrain’s match against China on Thursday is scheduled for a 5pm kick-off, while their game against Australia next week will begin at 9.15pm. Both fixtures are set to be held at the National Stadium in Riffa.
Bahrain are currently fourth on their six-team Group C table in the Fifa World Cup qualifiers. Japan are in first place with 10 points, while Australia, Saudi, and Bahrain are all tied on five points apiece.
Indonesia and China complete the standings with three points each.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
Top stories for today:
Parliament Speaker rejects budget claims
Petition to save BA Bahrain flights gains momentum
Proposal to limit expats’ tenure in civil service
&uuid=(email))