Singapore: Coach Miroslav Soukup has challenged Bahrain to take the initiative against Singapore in Tuesday’s AFC Asian Cup qualifier with a place in the 2019 Finals up for grabs at the National Stadium.
Bahrain top Group E alongside Turkmenistan with two games remaining, with third place Chinese Taipei a point off the pace.
But with Bahrain in Singapore and Turkmenistan welcoming Chinese Taipei, wins for Bahrain and Turkmenistan would send both sides through to the Finals with a game to spare.
Soukup’s side, however, will need to be more clinical in front of goal following March’s goalless draw at home with Singapore.
“We have to play much better and be more active inside the opponents' box against Singapore and shoot more chances on target this time,” said Czech coach Soukup.
“We had chances to score from our high ball possession. Singapore only had two or three chances at goal. The game is not about the amount of possession we have, it is about the number of goals scored.”
Chinese Taipei celebrate after beating Bahrain in Matchday Four of the Qualifiers.
Bahrain warmed up for the game with a 2-0 friendly with over Hong Kong last week as Soukup’s side look to bounce back from October’s last-gasp 2-1 defeat against Chinese Taipei.
“We were satisfied with our win and result against Hong Kong. We know that every game is different, and take the positives and mistakes from the game there,” added Soukup.
“We showed much better concentration in our game against Hong Kong. The thing I was not happy after the Chinese Taipei game was the concentration, because the players thought everything would be OK after 90 minutes.
“Every game is important for us. We do not want to think about qualification, but instead focus only on the game ahead. We really had hard luck in Taipei. We were leading 1-0 in Taipei, but lost after three minutes of additional time.
“Any loss gives us a chance to go forward because we remember the loss and reflect on what we did wrong. We have a young and inexperienced national team.”
Singapore have yet to win in Group E after losing to an added time strike against Turkmenistan last month, but with two points from four games, V. Sundramoorthy’s side could lift themselves into the qualification picture with a victory ahead of the final round fixtures in March having lost 1-0 to Lebanon in a friendly last week.
Turkmenistan moved to the top of Group E alongside Bahrain after Vahyt Orazsahedov’s second strike of the game in added time snatched a 2-1 win over Singapore in Ashgabat.
“We will face Chinese Taipei in the important match. A win gives us a place in the Asian Cup. This is why we have to give our best on the pitch. The players understand the situation and they will try to win the game,” said Turkmenistan coach Yazguly Hodjageldiev.
“Chinese Taipei played a very good game against Bahrain in the last match. We respect our opponents, but we should win to achieve our target.”
Chinese Taipei’s dramatic win over Bahrain last month lifted Gary White’s side back into contention in Group E with two games remaining.
“We have to give all of our attention to the game and win the match for the Taipei people. We will play the most important match in the history of Taipei football. We should gain the victory, it is a must-win game for us,” said White.
“The team have to play together as a unit. Turkmenistan are a good team, they will play at home, but we will try to change Taipei football history.”
Photos: AFC
Source: the-afc.com