Bahrain Vs Iraq: Live Score, Preview, Lineup, Telecast Details

Arabian Gulf Cup
MATCH INFO
MATCH :	Bahrain  V/s Iraq
COMPETITION :	Round 2
DATE:	25-12-2024
TIME:	11:00 PM IST (UTC +5:30)
STADIUM:	Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium

Bahrain	Lineup
Possible XI: Lutfalla; Al-Shamsan, Benaddi, Al Hayam, Al-Khulasi; Al-Shaikh, Al-Aswad, Saeed, Al-Humaidan; Marhoon, Abduljabbar
Iraq	Lineup
Possible XI: Hassan; Saadoon, Younis, Tahseen, Jeahze; Shlimon, Bayesh, Attwan, Jasim; Ali, Hussein

Preview: Bahrain Vs Iraq

After coming out firing in the opening half against the Saudis, Bahrain nearly gave it all away in the final 45 minutes, doing just enough to claim three points.

That ended their five-match winless run across all competitions, putting them in a position to potentially qualify for the knockout phase of the Gulf Cup for a fourth successive occasion.

For that to happen on Wednesday, they would need to win and have Saudi Arabia and Yemen draw to guarantee their passage into the next round.

Bahrain have gone unbeaten in five consecutive group stage fixtures at the Arabian Gulf Cup, winning four of those matches.

Lately, Dragan Talajic has seen his side be much more decisive in the attacking third, scoring a combined five goals in their previous two competitive fixtures, one more than they had managed in their seven encounters played before that.

They are undefeated in their last six meetings with Iraq, including a shootout victory the last time the two teams squared off at this tournament, in the 2019 semi-finals.

As we have come to expect, Iraq were rock solid defensively once again on Sunday, failing to concede a single effort on target versus Yemen.

It was the sixth time in their last seven competitive matches that Jesus Casas had seen his side maintain a clean sheet, with this team doing so now in three consecutive international affairs.

In their previous 11 matches across all competitions, the Lions of Mesopotamia have only suffered one defeat, narrowly losing 3-2 versus South Korea in a World Cup qualifier last October.

The reigning Gulf Cup champions have not lost any of their last 10 group contests at this event, with their previous defeat in this phase dating back to November 2014 (2-0 versus the United Arab Emirates).

They have not lost a single encounter all year after scoring first, while they boast a 100% record across all competitions in 2024 when doing so.

Iraq have not beaten Bahrain after 90 minutes since the group portion of this tournament in 2010 (3-2), but they have not lost to them in normal time on four successive occasions.

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About Arabian Gulf Cup:

History

The Arabian Gulf Cup (Arabic: كأس الخليج العربي, Kaʾs al-Khalīj al-ʿArabī), often referred to simply as the Gulf Cup, is a biennial association football competition governed by the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation for its eight member nations. The history of the competition has also seen it held every three to four years due to political or organisational problems. The reigning champions are Iraq, having won their fourth title at the 25th edition, as hosts, held in 2023.

The idea for the tournament was established at the 1968 Summer Olympics, and the first Arabian Gulf Cup took place in 1970 which was won by Kuwait. Kuwait has been the most successful team in the tournament's history, winning 10 tournaments out of 25 in total, followed by Iraq with four titles, and Saudi Arabia and Qatar with three titles each. The current champions are Iraq, who defeated Oman in 2023 to win their fourth title.

Developments

A major point that helped Qatar improve the competition was that Al Jazeera Sports, the leading sports channel in Western Asia, and North Africa is based in Doha. Al Jazeera Sports won broadcasting rights to the 2004, and exclusively in the 19th Arabian Gulf Cup in 2009 and dramatically reformed the Arabian Gulf Cup by hosting numerous talk shows and documentaries, on top of filming in HD and perfecting camerawork of matches.

The tournament marked the presence of some of the most influential personalities of the football world, including FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, and UEFA president, Michel Platini. The FIFA Executive Committee has also put on their October 4, 2013 meeting agenda to hear the proposal for the Arabian Gulf Cup to be included in the international match calendar.