BAHRAIN’S senior men’s national football team is set to play a pair of international friendly matches over the next week.
The Bahrainis first take on their counterparts from Syria on Thursday and suit up to face Palestine on Tuesday next week.
The tune-up games are part of the Bahrainis’ preparations for upcoming tournaments, including the AFC Asian Cup 2019 in January.
Bahrain resumed training for the friendlies under head coach Miroslav Soukup on Sunday. Bahrain Football Association president Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa visited the practice session and gave a few words of encouragement to the players. He also expressed delight with the progress of the national team’s training.
The Syrian team, meanwhile, has already arrived in Bahrain and begun training for Thursday’s match.
AFC Asian Cup 2019 will be Bahrain’s sixth participation in the continental showcase. Their best finish was in 2004, when they claimed fourth place overall out of 16 in the group stage after losing two of their three games.
Bahrain will be featuring in the inaugural match of the Asian Cup at Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi. It will on January 5 against hosts UAE.