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Yemen and Bahrain lock horns at the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium in Abha, Saudi Arabia on Thursday for their opening game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The sides have been drawn in Group H along with the United Arab Emirates and Nepal in the Asian zone, the AFC.
Ranked 156th in the world, Yemen reached this point after ousting Sri Lanka in the first round. Al-Yaman As-Sa'eed won the first leg 3-0 before playing out a 1-1 draw, which meant little as the Gulf side prevailed 4-1 on aggregate.
However, Miroslav Soukup's side face a tough start in the second round, against a side that's ranked 73 places above them.
Bahrain have had a busy year, having played 10 games in 2023 already. Four of them were in the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup in January, where the Reds marched all the way to the semi-finals.
Since then, the Gulf nation have been involved in six friendlies, including two last month. Bahrain overcame Kyrgyzstan 2-0 before a narrow 1-0 win over the Philippines.
Yemen vs Bahrain Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- There have been 15 previous clashes between the sides, with Bahrain winning 12 times and losing to Yemen twice.
- Bahrain are currently seven games unbeaten against Yemen.
- Bahrain have won their last three clashes with Yemen, two of which were in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
- Yemen have failed to score in their last seven games against Bahrain, last finding the net in June 2012: a 2-0 win in the FIFA Arab Cup.
- Bahrain are unbeaten in their last three games.
- In five games this calendar year, Yemen have won just once: a 3-0 win over Sri Lanka in the first leg of their FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
- Yemen are ranked 156th in the world and Bahrain are ranked 83rd.
Yemen vs Bahrain Prediction
Yemen come into the fixture with confidence after their Sri Lanka win, but Bahrain pose a different challenge. The Reds are ranked 76 places above Yemen, and have seen a better run of form this calendar year.
Their head-to-head record against Yemen is also heavily in their favor, so all signs point to another victory for Bahrain.
Prediction: Yemen 0-2 Bahrain
Yemen vs Bahrain Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Bahrain to win
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Under 2.5
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: No
