Bahrain – Sudan: Can Sudan fight for a place in the Arab Cup playoffs?
In the third round of the Arab Cup group stage, Bahrain meet Sudan on Tuesday, 9 December. The match begins at 18:00 CET, and I have a betting suggestion for it.
Bahrain – Sudan: Match preview
Bahrain have already lost all hope of reaching the Arab Cup playoffs. In the opening round, they fell 1–2 to Iraq and finished the match with ten men. In the next game, Bahrain faced Algeria and suffered a heavy 1–5 defeat. That result completely buried their playoff ambitions. Zero points from two matches, bottom of the group, and a goal difference of 2–7. For the third tournament in a row, they will miss the knockout stage. Although the team have two silver medals in their history, the current situation looks grim.
Sudan are playing in the Arab Cup group stage for the fifth consecutive time, and they still have a chance to reach the playoffs. They opened with a 0–0 draw against Algeria but then lost 0–2 to Iraq. That leaves them with one point from two matches. They sit third in the group and remain in theoretical contention for the playoffs. They trail Algeria by four points, meaning they must beat Bahrain and hope Iraq defeat Algeria. After that, the goal totals and goal difference will come into play.
Match facts
- Bahrain have lost their last two matches with a combined goal difference of 2–7.
- Bahrain have officially been eliminated from the Arab Cup playoff race.
- Sudan have scored in only two of their last ten matches.
- Bahrain and Sudan last met in 2011, when Bahrain won 1–0.
Prediction
Sudan must win if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. That won’t be easy, and I also expect a low-scoring affair. My betting tip is under 2.5 goals.
