Fatigue factor worries Peruzovic.
By FIFAworldcup.com.
After guiding Bahrain through their Asian Zone play-off against Uzbekistan, coach Luka Peruzovic is now just one step away from making history with the Gulf state.
Only Trinidad and Tobago, their final play-off opponents on 12 and 16 November, stand between Bahrain and a first FIFA World Cup™ finals appearance, although the 53-year-old Belgian is under no illusions about the size of the task facing his team against the fourth-placed CONCACAF side, who defeated Mexico in their final qualifying match. Before flying to Caribbean, Peruzovic discussed the challenge ahead in an exclusive interview with FIFAworldcup.com.
FIFAworldcup.com: Do you have any warms-up or friendlies planned after you arrive in Trinidad and Tobago on 7 November?
Luka Peruzovic: No, we don't. We have less than a week there before the first leg and the timing is too tight. It is a long and tiring flight from West Asia to the Caribbean so it will be wise to save our energy. We need to adapt to the new environment and conditions as quickly as possible and the best way is with light training sessions that will ensure the players are in top condition.
How did you prepare the group before departing for the Caribbean?
I started preparing the team from 19 October, but without our overseas-based players, who are based in Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. These players could only join the team on Sunday (6 November) after their club games on Saturday.
So these key players have not had much time training with the rest of the team?
Sure. What I did was call up a 25-man squad consisting entirely of home-based players and this gave me the chance to look at some new players.
Are there any new players we should look out for?
It might be too early to tell and I think you will know more after these games.
What would it mean to take Bahrain to their first FIFA World Cup finals?
No coach can deny the glory of reaching the FIFA World Cup finals. It would be a historical moment for Bahrain football. Even advancing to this decisive play-off with Trinidad and Tobago marks a giant step forward for Bahrain but we need to work even harder now to make history.
T&T look a formidable side with former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke leading the attack and former Real Madrid and Netherlands coach Leo Beenhakker pulling the strings. Have you seen much of them?
I've watched some video tapes and to be honest, they are a good team. They have some highly skilful players and their European-based stars are very experienced. But I believe we have a chance as long as we play to our potential.
You had home advantage in the second leg against Uzbekistan last month and the same applies against T&T. Is this going to play a big part?
Not really. We have to take long flights back and forth while our opponents only need to do that once. We will have to struggle against possible tiredness and play two matches in the space of five days. This requires more physical energy and we have to work hard to keep up our fitness.
Last month you beat Panama, another CONCACAF side, 5-0 in a friendly. How much confidence has this given the team ahead of the upcoming play-off?
I was happy to see the team scoring a lot of goals and that victory undoubtedly boosted the players' morale but Panama only sent an under-strength team and we also fielded fringe players. You can't take friendly results too seriously. The play-off will be extremely hard as all the players will be giving everything.
Is your key striker Alaa Hubail fit enough to start this time?
Hubail was out injured for over six months so I sent him on for just the last ten minutes in both matches against Uzbekistan. I'll see how he got on for his club in Qatar but he is certainly one of the best finishers in the team and hopefully he will be fit to play and strengthen our attack.
Hubail raring to go for Bahrain.
By FIFAworldcup.com.
Striker Alaa Hubail has declared himself "100 per cent fit" to play after being named in Bahrain's 25-man squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ play-offs against Trinidad and Tobago on 12 and 16 November.
The joint-top scorer at last year's AFC Asian Cup had been out of action for seven months before returning to the squad for last month's Asian Zone decider against Uzbekistan. Hubail came on as a late substitute in both legs of that tie but now considers himself ready to return to the starting lineup.
"I am now 100 per cent fit and ready to play all 180 minutes against T&T," said the forward, who lent weight to his words with the two goals he scored for Qatari club Al Gharafa against Al Rayyan at the weekend. Hubail, along with Bahrain's other Qatar and Kuwait-based players, joined up with the rest of the squad on Sunday before flying to the Caribbean to meet up with coach Luka Peruzovic, who arrived there early ahead of Saturday's first leg in Port of Spain.
"I was hoping to organise a training camp in a Caribbean or a South American country," Peruzovic said. "But after we failed to do that, I still believe it's better to arrive early to adapt to the conditions especially since it is our first experience in such a place."
Peruzovic produced one surprise in the squad he named by omitting Naser Duaij. The highly rated forward, who plays for Qatari club Al Wakra, was left out after putting on weight, according to the coach. "This is a decisive moment in the history of this nation and I have no intent of gambling," he said. "Only the players who were fully fit and ready to go were selected." Influential defender Mohammed Husain also missed out because of a muscle strain.
Bahrain defeated Uzbekistan on away goals last month - drawing 1-1 in Tashkent and 0-0 in Manama - to progress to the concluding play-off against T&T, who finished fourth in the North, Central American and Caribbean region. The winners of the play-off will earn their first-ever berth at a FIFA World Cup finals next summer in Germany.
Bahrain Squad:
Goalkeepers:
Abdulkarim Abdulrahman (Al Nejmah), Sayed Jaffer (Malikiya), Hassan Ali (Muharraq)
Defenders:
Mohamed Basheer (Al Khor, Qatar), Ibrahim Al Meshakhas (Muharraq), Sayed Mohamed Adnan (Al Khor, Qatar), Abdulla Marzooq (Rifaa), Mahmoud Galal (Siylyah, Qatar), Ahmed Al Hejeri (Al Ahli)
Midfielders:
Fawzi Ayesh (Muharraq), Mohamed Salmeen (Al Arabi, Qatar), Saleh Farhan (Rifaa), Mohamed Hubail (Qatar, Qatar), Hamad Rakea (Rifaa), Husain Salman (Al Wasl, UAE), Ghazee El Kawwaree (El Basteen), Husain Baba (Al Kuwait, Kuwait), Rashed Al Dosari (Muharraq), Salman Isa (Al Arabi, Qatar)
Strikers:
Talal Yusif (Al Kuwait, Kuwait), Husain Ali (Al Gharrafah, Qatar), Abdulla Al Dakhil (Muharraq), Ahmed Hassan (Rifaa), Alaa Hubail (Al Gharafa, Qatar), Ismail Abdellatif ( Al Hala).
