The Pearl Divers booked a place in the knockout stage of the tournament courtesy of getting the better of Jordan 1-0 on matchday three and thereby finishing top of Group E, with six points to their name.
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One of the final two quarter-final teams of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 will be decided at Al Thumama Stadium on Wednesday when Bahrain takes on Japan in a round of 16 fixture. The Red Devils booked a place in the knockout stage of the tournament courtesy of getting the better of Jordan 1-0 on matchday three and thereby finishing top of Group E, with six points to their name, one clear of second-placed South Korea. Samurai Blue, on the other hand, defeated Indonesia 3-1 in their final group-match, and went on to secure second spot in Group D, three adrift of Iraq.
Japan 🇯🇵, 3x🏆 winners, go against Bahrain 🇧🇭 who came fourth in
2004Who do you think will win? 👇#AsianCup2023 #HayyaAsia pic.twitter.com/gRcIlHWyfA
— AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 (@Qatar2023en) January 31, 2024
Bahrain began their AFC Asian Cup 2023 campaign with a 3-1 defeat to South Korea, but then bounced back with back-to-back wins over Malaysia and Jordan with an overall scoreline of 2-0. Ali Madan’s thrilling 95th-minute winner against Harimau Malaya and Abdullah Yusuf Helal’s first-half effort versus the Chivalrous helped the Pearl Divers secure a maximum of six points from their final two group games and thereby advance to the knockout stage of the tournament for a second successive term. Despite having less than 40% possession against Jordan last time out, Juan Antonio Pizzi’s men recorded four attempts on target, compared to just three by their opponents, while finding the back of the net from one of those. Pizzi is likely to opt for a similar counter attacking style of play against four-time champions Japan, who are very comfortable with the ball at their feet, on Wednesday.
Japan, on the other hand, went into matchday three yet to seal their place in the knockouts because of a surprise 2-1 defeat to Iraq in their second Group D fixture. But the Samurai Blue took care of the business last week, getting the better of Indonesia thanks to Ayase Ueda’s brace and Justin Huber’s own goal two minutes from time. Though Hajime Moriyasu’s men had the bulk share of possession (72%) at Al Thumama Stadium last Wednesday, they managed just two shots on target. Nevertheless, the Samurai Blue have won four of their last five meetings with Bahrain, including a 4-3 extra-time success in the 2004 semi-finals, the only time these two teams faced off in the knockout phase of this tournament.
Bahrain probable starting lineup: Lutfalla; Adel, Baqer, Al Hayam, Ali, Al-Shaikh, Al-Wali, Madan, Al-Aswad, Marhoon, Yusuf Helal
Japan probable starting lineup: Suzuki, Sugawara, Itakura, Tomiyasu, H. Ito, Endo, Morita, J. Ito, Kubo, Minamino, Ueda
Bahrain
| Opponents | Score |
| Jordan | 0-1 (W) |
| Malaysia | 1-0 (W) |
| South Korea | 3-1 (L) |
| Angola | 0-3 (L) |
| Australia | 0-2 (L) |
Japan
| Opponents | Score |
| Indonesia | 3-1 (W) |
| Iraq | 2-1 (L) |
| Vietnam | 4-2 (W) |
| Jordan | 6-1 (W) |
| Thailand | 5-0 (W) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| Japan beat Bahrain | 2-0 |
| Japan beat Bahrain | 1-0 |
| Bahrain beat Japan | 1-0 |
| Japan beat Bahrain | 2-3 |
| Japan beat Bahrain | 1-0 |
The AFC Asian Cup fixture between Bahrain and Japan will take place at Al Thumama Stadium on Wednesday.
| Bahrain vs Japan | Key Details |
| Date | January 31 |
| Venue | Al Thumama Stadium |
| Kickoff time in Bahrain | 2:30 pm |
| Kickoff time in Japan | 8:30 pm |
| Kickoff time in Qatar | 2:30 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 5:00 pm |
The live telecast of the AFC Asian Cup matches in India will be available on Sports 18 network. Besides, football fans in India can also live stream the game through Jio TV. Meanwhile, those is Bahrain can watch the match on TOD, beIN Sports Connect and beIN Asian Cup network. Football fans in Japan can catch the live action via DAZN Japan.
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