Thailand vs Bahrain

BG Stadium is the venue as Thailand and Bahrain go head-to-head in an all-Asian international friendly.

A hard-fought 1-0 triumph over Turkmenistan a week ago has extended Thailand’s run to four consecutive international victories and maintained their unbeaten record in 2022 (W4, D1). By extension, the ‘War Elephants’ are unbeaten in their last 12 international fixtures (W10, D2) since a 1-0 defeat to Malaysia in their final 2022 World Cup qualifier. At home, Alexandré Pölking’s men have won their last four matches, including a 3-1 thumping of Bahrain a fortnight ago. With Thailand’s three remaining victories in the aforementioned four-game winning sequence yielding a clean sheet, it’s easy to assume they are putting their trust into a rock-solid backline.

On the other hand, Bahrain netted a quick-fire brace beyond the 90th minute to beat Myanmar 2-0 in an international friendly last time out, ending a run of two consecutive defeats. Keeping a blank sheet could prove crucial to Bahrain’s hopes of winning, as three of their last four results (win/loss) witnessed the winner on the day register a shutout. However, it’s worth noting that since a 3-2 win in 2008, the ‘Pearl Divers’ have gone winless in their last five meetings with Thailand (D2, L3), netting under 1.5 goals on each occasion. Additionally, Bahrain’s underwhelming away form has seen them win just two of their last seven internationals on hostile turf (D1, L4).