Bahrain’s Under-22 football team is set to take on neighbouring countries as the fifth edition of the Gulf Cup of Nations kicks off tomorrow at the National Stadium in Riffa.
The competition, which is being hosted by Bahrain and organised by the Union Arab de Football Association, will feature the region’s finest talent and runs until August 27. Bahrain’s squad, coached by Anthony Hudson, will be taking on the UAE and Kuwait in Group A of the preliminary round while Group B includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman.
The 31-year-old Briton has been preparing the team for the tournament for the past two months by staging a camp in Turkey and competing in friendly games including the recent match at Al Ahli Club in Zinj against Nepal in which they came away with a 3-0 victory. Abdullah Shalal scored a brace and Kumail Alaswad completed the tally.
Coach Hudson, who lives in Amwaj Islands, said: “I feel we are a lot stronger than we were at this time last year. However, we can always reach a higher level as there is scope for improvement. We will always try to do better.
“I feel that Saudi and the UAE are the strongest teams. UAE are the dark horses as they have a new coach, so we must be well prepared.
“But, the key for us is to be the very best at what we do and continue to improve the way we play.
“I noticed during our match against Nepal that we need to tidy up lots of little areas. Now it’s all about tactical work and making sure the players are fresh for the first game.”
Some of coach Hudson’s key players will not be joining the squad for the competition. Striker Saad Al Amer is recovering from a knee injury and is still not fit to play, while defender Ali Ghaleb has a back injury as well.
In last year’s event, held in Doha, the coach guided Bahrain’s Under-20 team to the silver medal, which was their best-ever finish at that age-level. Coach Hudson hopes to emulate that success, if not improve upon it, by being hard-working, organised and teaching team spirit.
Bahrain has yet to win the tournament, despite coming a close second to Saudi Arabia last year in Qatar. Saudi Arabia secured the title twice while the UAE and Oman have won once each.
The Bahrain squad will be playing UAE in the opener tomorrow evening at 7pm.
