January 30 – Asian Cup favorites Bahrain face tournament favorites Japan in the round of 16 at Tumama Stadium on Wednesday afternoon in a match that could change the face of the tournament forever.
Bahrain coach Juan Antonio Pizzi said this on Wednesday afternoon ahead of their match against four-time Asian Cup champions Japan. It will be a very tough match, but we are well prepared and we need to be focused. ”
“I have full confidence in the players. We will play every game as if it were the final.”
Despite being favorites to win the tournament, Japan stumbled in the group stage and finished second, losing to Iraq at home and conceding five goals in three games. The Japanese clearly have quality, but Pizzi made it clear that he is trying to expose their weaknesses.
“Japan has weaknesses and we need to exploit them to come out on top. We hope we can execute our game plan and get the win,” Pizzi said.
“Before going into a match, I always study my opponent. We prepare tactics that play to our strengths and mitigate the opponent’s strengths. Even if it means changing strategies during the match. We always try to control the game and control possession, even if it means .”
Despite losing to South Korea 3-1 in the first match, Bahrain unexpectedly took the lead in the group, showing perfect defense to advance through the group stage and leapfrog South Korea to take the top spot.
“When we play against big teams, we always look to pull an upset. It makes us better as players and staff as a whole,” Pizzi explained.
“The level of our match against Korea was extremely high, but I was confident that we could compete against anyone in this tournament.”
Pizzi knows what it takes to cause an upset on the continent’s stage, and in 2016 he led Chile to the Copa America title by defeating a perfect Argentina team that featured a 29-year-old Lionel Messi at his peak. lead.
“Of course the experience in Chile is very important, but no two matches are the same. We will try to win the match, just as we did then, by focusing on the opponent’s weaknesses,” Pizzi said.
“Pressure is a very important factor right now and it can really play into our hands.”
Pizzi, who was Saudi Arabia’s manager at the time, was forced to return from Japan for the 2019 Asian Cup thanks to an early goal from Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu, who also started Wednesday’s match. There is a high possibility that he will participate. Now with Bahrain’s top group of players, he is looking to exact revenge on the team that cost him his job five years ago.
“This is football. Sometimes it gives us a chance to heal our wounds. Life goes on, so we have to be willing to avoid whatever life throws at us,” Pizzi said.
“Psychology is important for players, especially after the game we won. Winning is great motivation and we hope we can use this to come out on top tomorrow.”
Bahrain captain Walid Al-Khayyam has addressed the challenges ahead as he looks to finally reach the Round of 16 for the first time since 2004.
“We have a lot of respect for Japan and they are a great team. We will need patience to secure the required result,” he said.
“No matter who the opponent is, we are going to fight to win. There is no greater enemy for us. What we give is what we get.
“We are not afraid of Japan. We respect Japan.”
Jordan’s last-gasp victory over high-flying Iraq on Monday afternoon proved that anything can happen in this tournament, but the player insists he is focused on his game. did.
“We don’t care about what happened between Jordan and Iraq. We’ll do what we have to do to defeat Japan. We’ll go into the game focusing on our own play.” .
“For us, it feels like life or death.”
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