Bahrain are set to welcome a 27-player Chinese football national team for their upcoming match this Thursday in the third round of Asian qualification for the Fifa World Cup 2026.
The Group C encounter is set to be played at the National Stadium in Riffa, and it will be kicking off at 5pm.
It will be the fifth assignment for both teams in this stage of qualifiers, as the two sides look to secure three crucial points in their World Cup bids.
In other divisional clashes the same day, Australia, who Bahrain face on Tuesday next week at home, host Saudi Arabia at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, and Indonesia play Japan at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.
The Australia-Saudi game kicks off at 12.10pm, while the Indonesia-Japan contest begins at 3pm, both Bahrain time.
The Japanese currently top the Group C standings with 10 points, while Australia, Saudi, and Bahrain follow in that order with five points apiece. Indonesia and China complete the table with three points each.
The Bahrainis head into their clash with the Chinese having played to a goalless draw against Saudi in their previous fixture away last month, while China claimed their first win of this phase in a 2-1 result at home against Indonesia.
Thursday’s affair will be a meeting between the two national teams’ Croatian head coaches, with Dragan Talajic guiding Bahrain and Branko Ivankovic at the helm of China.
The Chinese travel to the kingdom with a squad that includes goalkeepers Wang Dalei, Yan Junling, Liu Dianzulo, and Han Jiaqi; defenders Gao Zhunyi, Jiang Guangtai, Jiang Shenglong, Li Lei, Wei Zhen, Yang Zexiang, Zhu Chenjie, and Hu Hetao; midfielders Cheng Jin, Li Yuanyi, Wang Haijian, Wang Shangyuan, Xie Wenneng, Xu Haoyang, and Cao Yongjing; and forwards Baihelamu Abuduwaili, Fei Nanduo, Lin Liangming, Wu Lei, Wei Shihao, Zhang Yuning, Wang Ziming, and Tao Gianglong.
The Chinese held a short training camp in Dubai prior to coming to the kingdom. They have remained tight-lipped about their scheduled arrival, according to a Bahrain official, but are expected to reach Bahrain today.
Bahrain’s squad, meanwhile, have entered their final preparations for the contest with an internal camp at Wyndham Grand Manama in Bahrain Bay.
They held a closed training session last night under Talajic at the Bahrain Football Association pitches in Riffa.
The match’s official technical meeting, along with the coaches’ pre-game Press conferences, are scheduled to take place tomorrow.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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