Bahrain

Bahrain’s Asian Cup highpoint was in 2004 in China when they reached the semi-finals.

What to expect

The country has participated at six Asian Cup finals but has only won five matches and drawn six out of the 23 total games played.

In 2019 in the UAE they reached the Round of 16 but bowed out after a hard-fought 120 minutes against Korea Republic, which they lost 2-1 after extra time. The Bahranis had the balance of play for much of the game but couldn’t convert their opportunities into goals. They will face the Koreans again in the group stage in Qatar.

They have an experienced squad with seven players having more than 50 caps for their country and two with more than 100, but goalscoring remains a problem. The feeling is that this is the last opportunity for this generation of Bahraini talent to make their mark indelibly on Asia’s blue riband competition.

It is not inconceivable that they could and they have the ability to pull of upsets. In the 2023 Gulf Cup, Bahrain beat the United Arab Emirates 2-1 as they topped their group and advanced to the semi-finals, before losing to Oman 1-0.

In their Asian Cup group they face hosts South Korea, Malaysia and Jordan. They will aim for qualification for the last 16 but on paper and current form this is a well-matched group for the second qualification slot behind favourites South Korea.

Star player

Komail Al Aswad has been a stand-out for Bahrain for more than a decade and often at the heart of Bahrain’s best moments.

Born in Riffa, he began his sporting life as a gymnast and even represented his country at youth level before switching to football.

The creative midfielder has won four Bahraini Premier League titles with his home town club Riffa SC and was a standout performers as they reached the Zonal Final in the AFC Cup 2022. He has been the engine room for his country, playing every minute in the 2019 Asian Cup campaign.

With 96 caps and 13 goals he will be central to Bahrain’s campaign.

Manager

Bahrain head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi is returning to the Asian Cup for the second time. In the UAE in 2019 he managed Saudi Arabia where they were eliminated by Japan in the Round of 16. He has only been at the helm for five months, having replaced Helio Sousa in July.

As a striker Pizzi spent the bulk of his club career in Spain, mainly at Tenerife, where he played 221 matches and scored 92 goals over eight seasons. He also played for Valencia and Barcelona. Born in Argentina, Pizzi represented the Spanish national team for four years.

Schedule

South Korea vs Bahrain – January 15 – Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium

Bahrain vs Malaysia – January 20 – Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium

Jordan vs Bahrain – January 25 – Khalifa International Stadium

Squad