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Bahrain will face Saudi Arabia at the Bahrain National Stadium on Thursday in the penultimate game of their third-round 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The home side have endured a perhaps expectedly difficult qualifying campaign so far and can no longer secure automatic qualification as they sit fifth in the table with six points.
They suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat away at Indonesia last time out, conceding the sole goal of the game midway through the first half. The Reds are three points behind Indonesia in fourth place and will be eliminated from the running for the next group phase should they fail to win on Thursday and Tim Garuda do elsewhere.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, have had mixed results in their qualifying campaign, although they remain hopeful of securing direct qualification. They held on for a point in their goalless draw against group winners Japan in their last match, managing just one shot throughout the contest.
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The visitors sit third in Group C with 10 points and will be targeting maximum points here to keep the pressure on second-placed Australia, who are three points ahead.
Bahrain vs Saudi Arabia Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Thursday's game will mark the 40th meeting between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The hosts have won eight of their previous matchups while the visitors have won 19 times, with their other 12 contests ending in draws.
- The hosts are undefeated in their last three games in this fixture and have lost just one of their last six.
- The Arabian Falcons are the lowest-scoring side in Group C with a goal tally of just four.
- Muharabi Dilmun were ranked 84th in the latest FIFA rankings and now sit 26 places behind their midweek opponents.
Bahrain vs Saudi Arabia Prediction
Bahrain are on a run of back-to-back defeats and are winless in their last seven qualifying games. They have the worst home record in Group C with just two points from four games and could struggle here.
Saudi Arabia are undefeated in their last three games and will head into the midweek clash on a high. They are the stronger side ahead of Thursday's game and should capitalize on that this week.
Prediction: Bahrain 0-1 Saudi Arabia
Bahrain vs Saudi Arabia Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Saudi Arabia to win
Tip 2 - Goals - Over/under 2.5 - Under 2.5 goals (Four of the last five matches between the two teams have produced fewer than 2.5 goals)
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: No (Both sides have found the back of the net in just one of their last five matchups)
