Bahrain vs Iraq prediction & H2H – prediction, H2H & Probable Line-ups – December 25, 2024
As part of the second round of the Gulf Cup of Nations, a match will take place between the national teams of Bahrain and Iraq. The game will be held in Kuwait on Wednesday, December 25th, with a kick-off scheduled for 18:30 Central European Time. I’m offering a bet on the winner of this game.
Match Preview
Bahrain continues to fight for a spot in the World Cup, but their position in the qualifying group leaves much to be desired. There are still four matches left in the qualifiers, and five teams are competing for second place.
On the other hand, this hasn’t stopped Bahrain from starting strong in the Gulf Cup of Nations. In the first round, they secured a victory over the solid Saudi Arabian team.
Iraq faces much weaker opponents in the World Cup qualifiers and comfortably occupies second place. Excluding South Korea, their main competitor for second place is Jordan.
Under coach Garcia, Iraq dominated the weakest team in their group, Yemen, in the last match, although they only managed to win thanks to a single accurate strike.
Match Facts
- Bahrain has won only one of their last six matches.
- Iraq has not conceded a goal in their last three matches.
- Bahrain averages 0.8 goals per game at home, while Iraq averages 2 goals per game away.
Likely Lineups
- Bahrain: Luftfalla, Al-Shamsan, Benaddi, Al-Hayam, Al-Khalasi, Dhiya, Al-Humaydan, Madaan, Maroun, Al-Aswad, Hassan.
- Iraq: Hashim, Jaze, Tahsin, Al-Tikriti, Saadun, Bayesh, Attwan, Jassim, Yassin, Amin, Hussein.
Head-to-Head
Iraq has not beaten Bahrain since 2010, and the last four encounters have ended in a draw.
Prediction
The teams look evenly matched, but I’m leaning towards Iraq. They play strong defense, and Bahrain has been unimpressive in terms of scoring. My bet is on Iraq to win with a 0 handicap.
