Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The last time that Bahrain and the Philippines met on the football field was in a friendly back in March, which the Arab nation won 2-1.
But when the two nations meet once again for the World Cup Qualifer on Thursday (June 11) at the Philippine Sports Stadium, the make up of the two teams will be very different.
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Apart from the players Bahrain have rested during the friendly in March, the Philippines also have to deal with the their opponent’s new coach.
Bahrain will be led out by former World Cup winner and Argentinian international, Sergio Batista, who was appointed to the position just last May.
The recent appointment has shrouded the Bahrain side in mystery.
“It may be different,” said Filipino striker Phil Younghusband. “We don’t know what to expect because they have a new coach.”
It is a change that leaves Philippine team coach Thomas Dooley curious on how they would play against the Filipinos.
Dooley scouted out the recent Bahrain 1-1 draw against Thailand and recognized a change in the way they played.
“So now they got a new coach and when we watched the game against Thailand, he changed a couple of things,” said Dooley. “We don’t even know how they [will] play against us.”
Even though Dooley is expecting an opponent he knows little of tactically, he stresses that the Filipinos need to impose themselves and force Bahrain to adapt to their own way of play.
“We have to play our game the way we want to play,” said Dooley. “I would rather have them play our game, the way we want to play and they need to adjust to us.”
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But with the new players coming in, the national team has an air of mystery about themselves as well.
The arrival of Stephan Palla, Iain Ramsay, Kevin Ingreso, and Luke Woodland give the Filipinos a brand new look – a look that even local fans have yet to see.
With a chance to qualify for the World Cup at stake, this is set to be a completely different fixture when compared to last March’s friendly.
