*** ----> Bahrain face must-win match against Saudi | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Bahrain face must-win match against Saudi

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s Olympic football team play their second game in the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) U23 Championship tonight against tournament hosts Saudi Arabia.

The match is scheduled for a 6.30pm kick-off, Bahrain time, and it will take place at Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam.

It will be their final fixture of Group C in the competition’s preliminary round.

The Bahrainis will be looking to bounce back in the contest after losing their first game to Syria, 1-4.

The Saudis then beat their Syrian counterparts 2-0 in their clash, so Bahrain will need to win tonight by four goals to finish in first place in their group and earn them a place in the semi-finals.

A victory by any other margin will not ensure them a place in the last four.

They will need to be the best second-placed team amongst all the groups in that scenario.

The under-23 nationals have been training hard over the past few days for the contest.

Head coach Ismail Karimi has been at the helm of the Bahraini side.

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There are 23 players on the squad list.

They include Fahad Jassim, Hussain Abdulkarim, Younis Moussa, Ali Muftah, Hamza Aljebne, Ahmed Al Sherooqi, Saud Alasam, Saleh Mohammed, Hamad Fouad, Mohammed Abdulqayoom, Adnan Fawaz, Ebrahim Alkhattal, Sayed Mohammed Amin, Abdullah Freah, Hamza Abdulla, Ali Khalifa, Abdulla Alhayki, Ebrahim Shareeda,

Omar Abdulbasit, Hassan Issa, Mohammed Marhoon, Sayed Jawad Alawi and Faisal Abdulla.

There are three groups in all in the competition’s first stage.

Group A includes current leaders Yemen, Kuwait, Jordan and Oman, while Group B comprises leaders Iraq, the UAE, Lebanon and Palestine.

Following the WAFF competition, the under-23 Bahrainis are set to compete in a tough Group C in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers from October 23 to 31.

They will be going against Iraq, Afghanistan and the Maldives, with all the matches to be played in the Kingdom.

The Bahrainis open their qualifying campaign on October 27 against Afghanistan, and then play the Maldives two nights later.

They close out the qualifiers against Iraq on October 31.

article-image

There are 23 players on the squad list.

They include Fahad Jassim, Hussain Abdulkarim, Younis Moussa, Ali Muftah, Hamza Aljebne, Ahmed Al Sherooqi, Saud Alasam, Saleh Mohammed, Hamad Fouad, Mohammed Abdulqayoom, Adnan Fawaz, Ebrahim Alkhattal, Sayed Mohammed Amin, Abdullah Freah, Hamza Abdulla, Ali Khalifa, Abdulla Alhayki, Ebrahim Shareeda,

Omar Abdulbasit, Hassan Issa, Mohammed Marhoon, Sayed Jawad Alawi and Faisal Abdulla.

There are three groups in all in the competition’s first stage.

Group A includes current leaders Yemen, Kuwait, Jordan and Oman, while Group B comprises leaders Iraq, the UAE, Lebanon and Palestine.

Following the WAFF competition, the under-23 Bahrainis are set to compete in a tough Group C in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers from October 23 to 31.

They will be going against Iraq, Afghanistan and the Maldives, with all the matches to be played in the Kingdom.

The Bahrainis open their qualifying campaign on October 27 against Afghanistan, and then play the Maldives two nights later.

They close out the qualifiers against Iraq on October 31.