Bahrain is ready to play against Iran tomorrow

BAHRAIN'S senior men's national football team received a warm welcome yesterday upon arriving in Tehran ahead of their Fifa World Cup qualifier against Tehran tomorrow. The delegation featured 43 individuals, including 24 players, 16 officials and three media professionals, who travelled by a special chartered flight that touched down at Mehrabad International Airport. The team was welcomed to the Iranian capital by Bahrain Football Association (BFA) coordination and follow-up director Hassan Ismail and national team administrator Adel Al Saadoun, who were already in the country before yesterday to make the final preparations for the Bahraini squad's arrival. Also receiving the team were Bahrain Embassy officials Jaffar Hubail and Ahmed Al Hajiri and members from the Iran Football Federation. They presented delegation head Ali Ahmed Al Buainain a bouquet of flowers. The nationals are staying at Persian Esteghlal International Hotel. In the early evening, national team head coach Peter John Taylor held a team meeting, which was then followed by a 45-minute trip to their practice facility, which was a secluded pitch surrounded by many trees located close to the 100,000-capacity Azadi Stadium, which will host tomorrow's game. Meanwhile, Al Buainain yesterday called on Bahrain's team to give their best effort on the pitch tomorrow when they face the heavily favoured Iranians in what is expected to be a capacity crowd that will be rooting against them.