Bahrain vs Australia Prediction: An open contest ahead

In anticipation of the upcoming Asian Cup later this month, Bahrain and Australia are set to face off in a friendly at Baniyas Stadium in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday. The Bahraini team suffered a 2-0 defeat in their last match of 2023 against the UAE. On the other hand, the Socceroos concluded the year with three consecutive victories, including a 1-0 win against Palestine in November.

Bahrain will be seeking a better outcome in this match after experiencing a 0-2 defeat in their last WC Qualifiers - Asia game against the UAE. In that match, Abdalla Ramadan scored in the 36th minute, and Ali Mabkhout added another goal in the 90th minute for the UAE. Notably, in 5 of their last 6 fixtures, Bahrain has seen fewer than three goals per game. Analyzing the goal distribution in that period, their opponents scored a total of 6 goals, while Bahrain managed a tally of 7.

Australia heads into this match on the back of a 1-0 victory against Palestine in their recent WC Qualifiers - Asia fixture. In that game, Australia maintained 54% possession and had 8 shots at goal, with 5 on target. The lone goal for Australia was scored by Harry Souttar in the 18th minute. On the other side, Palestine had 7 attempts at goal, with 2 on target. Notably, a trend of at least one team failing to score has been observed in Australia's recent games. Over their last six matches, this has happened on 5 occasions. In these clashes, Australia's opponents have managed a total of 5 goals, while Australia themselves have scored 12.

As the Asian Cup approaches, both teams are likely to approach this match cautiously, avoiding risks to key players to ensure their availability for the tournament. Despite the expected tight and careful gameplay, we believe the Socceroos have an advantage in this encounter. This is attributed to the strong cohesion within their group and their consistent form against Asian opposition.