Exclusive Bahrain coach Dragan Talajic eyes Saudi Arabia upset and dreams of World Cup
When Bahrain faces Saudi Arabia in a crunch 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Thursday, it is aiming to do more than just end its neighbors hopes of an automatic spot at the tournament.
Bahrain has twice suffered heartache at the final hurdle in its bid to play in a maiden FIFA World Cup – losing intercontinental play-offs to Trinidad and Tobago in 2006 and New Zealand in 2010; now, current coach Dragan Talajic is determined to make history for the Gulf nation.
On paper, Thursday's clash with Bahrain should be straightforward for Herve Renard's side. Saudi Arabia is a three-time Asian champion with a domestic league that is now watched all over the world – containing some of the planet's finest players. In this season's AFC Champions League Elite, the Kingdom provided both the winner in Al Ahli and the competition's top scorer in Salem al-Dawsari.
'Al-Dawsari is unbelievably talented,' Bahrain coach Talajic told Al Arabiya English in an exclusive interview. 'He is a strong player, a beautiful attacking player who has been in great form in the Saudi Pro League.
'But we cannot concentrate only on Salem al-Dawsari. Saudi Arabia has very good players, a very good coach and of course a lot of respect from me. But we know what we will try to do to stop al-Dawsari; we have to play like a team to try to control space. Football is a game of 11 against 11.'
Despite the apparent disparity between the two nations on the pitch, Bahrain has only lost one of its past six matches against the Green Falcons – a record that stretches back to 2014. Talajic's team held Saudi Arabia to a 0-0 draw in Jeddah last October and then went a step further in December by claiming a 3-2 victory in the group stage of the Arabian Gulf Cup – a tournament that Bahrain went on to win.
The 0-0 World Cup qualifying draw was a particularly special moment for Talajic as it represented a return to Jeddah, a city in which he is fondly remembered. In 2004, the Croatian coach led Al Ittihad to its first ever AFC Champions League title as Talajic and his players overturned a 3-1 first leg defeat to Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma – winning 5-0 in South Korea to lift the trophy in spectacular style.
'These are unbelievable memories,' Talajic said of the 2004 final. 'This was a long time ago but really was the start of my journey winning trophies in my career. I am so proud of what we achieved at Al Ittihad.
'Back then I was young and just at the start of my coaching career but we managed to have this incredible result – the 5-0 win, which is still a record [AFC Champions League final score]. I still have a close relationship with Al Ittihad and I am happy to see the team performing well again this year with Benzema.'
The AFC Champions League was Talajic's first piece of silverware, but certainly not his last. The 59-year-old has spent much of the past two decades in the Gulf, winning trophies at Al Wahdat in Jordan, and Al Kuwait and Al Khalidya in Bahrain. Most recently, he led the Bahrain national team to only its second Arabian Gulf Cup triumph.
'We went there as underdog because I think this was maybe the strongest ever Gulf Cup; seven of the eight countries are playing in the last round of qualification for the World Cup and all of them had full teams.
'I don't think anybody else thought we would win but I certainly believed we could do it and I'm really proud about what my boys did in this tournament.'
On its way to victory, Bahrain beat Saudi Arabia 3-2 in the group stage – a result that fills Talajic with confidence ahead of this week's World Cup qualifying encounter.
'I think we took Saudi Arabia by surprise then and we will also prepare for this next game in a good way,' Talajic explained. 'The confidence is increasing a lot among the players – not just because of the Gulf Cup but this World Cup qualification too.
'You can see that they are trusting themselves more because we are performing well against these big teams like Japan, Saudi Arabia and Australia. A big credit goes to my staff too – I want to thank them because every success we have now is down to them. Of course I make the final decisions but without the whole team, we will do nothing.'
Bahrain is currently fifth in Group C, three points behind fourth-placed Indonesia. The teams that finish third and fourth will progress to the Fourth Round of qualifying and while Talajic knows it will not be easy, he insists his players are capable of moving a step closer to a first FIFA World Cup.
'We are in a more difficult situation but our future is in our hands,' Talajic said. 'If we win these next two games against Saudi Arabia and China, we have qualified for the next round. We have our dream and we are in this together.
'We will do our job, do our best and I believe in my boys. I also believe in all the support of Bahraini people and I think we have a beautiful chance to reach the World Cup with Bahrain.'
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