Redemption Route to Baghdad

TDT | Manama

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s Olympic football team (U-23) are heading to Baghdad today, entering a week-long training camp that could define their road to the AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers this September. The camp, running from July 31 to August 6, offers a chance to regroup after a mixed bag of performances in their recent outing in Kyrgyzstan.

Squad on a Mission

Leading the charge is national coach Ali Majid, flanked by assistant Hassan Al Mousawi. While it’s technically a training camp, Bahrain are to play two friendlies against Iraq’s U-23 team, on August 2 and 5.  

The full list of players heading to Iraq includes: Abdullah Farih, Mohammed Khalifa, Ashraf Mubarak, Bader AlAsum, Salman Younis, Mohammed AlSheehani, Abdullah Al Qassab, Ahmed Dhiyaa, Isa Abdullah, Abdulrahman Al Khayyat, Rashid Mujiran, Abdulrahman Aboud, Mahmoud Al Bannai, Sayed Ahmed Al Wadaei, Abdullah Al Obaidli, Hassan Sameer, Ali Taradah, Saud Mohsen, Saad Al Attar, Ali Sahwan, Salem Al Doseri, Khalid Khalaf, Mubarak Mohammed, Abdullah Al Subaie. 

Lessons from Bishkek

Their previous camp in Kyrgyzstan ended with more questions than answers. A 1-0 loss to Oman, a 1-1 draw with Syria, and another 1-0 defeat to the hosts didn’t exactly scream confidence. But the team showed sparks, particularly in midfield transitions and defensive shape. The Baghdad camp is where Bahrain hopes to transform those sparks into something resembling momentum.